Tales of Alrest
by Gyaradosmaster
Summary: A series of one-shots detailing different kind of scenarios and events the group gets to in their journey across Alrest. Features friendly banter, plenty of laughs, hints of romance and everything else you'd expect from this group of colorful characters.
1. Fever Drive

Now, unlike my two previous fanfics, this one won't be a one-shot. It will be a series of them, all with the amazing cast we know and love. There will be a bit more info at the end, but until then, I don't own Xenoblade and I hope you enjoy!

…

Tantal's climate wasn't something that any human or blade could get easily used to. It was significantly colder than the other Titans and snow and ice was practically everywhere. If you stayed still for too long, you'd turn into a very impressive popsicle. Staying on the move was the best way to keep warm…that and fighting the local wildlife of course!

''Sword Bash!'' Rex yelled as he defeated one of the many Grad Gogols that had suddenly attacked them close to Yolmunder's Crevasse. They would've preferred to avoid unnecessary fighting, but most monsters weren't exactly known for their verbal communication, Gogols included. ''These guys are just not letting up.'' Rex said, dodging one of the incoming attacks thanks to Foresight. He had to be very careful with his movements though, since they were all standing on a frozen pond.

''Just don't lose focus Rex.'' Mythra said and Rex just nodded and kept on fighting.

''I'm afraid we'll be fighting for quite a while if this keeps up.'' Morag said as she repelled one of the large monkey-like monsters' punches with her flame whip. She looked around the area and saw that there were still quite a few left and it was very likely that there were more coming.

''Lady Morag, I don't believe an extended fight will be very wise.'' Brighid said and Morag nodded in agreement. Gogols definitely had plenty of strength and endurance, an extended fight would get very dangerous, very quickly.

''Not to worry chaps, I'll take care of this!'' Zeke said and he raised his sword high up in the air, with Pandoria providing support all the while, which created electric sparks around him. ''Bringer of Chaos!'' Zeke jumped high up into the air to prepare his attack.

''Don't do it Shellhead!'' Nia yelled, but it was far too late for Zeke to stop his super-ultra-mega-move!

''Ultimate Lighting Fury Slash…MAX!'' A very large and powerful bolt of lightning hit the ground, which left behind a rather unique symbol. All the Gogols fled in fear, probably afraid of all the electricity that was produced. ''Hah, there's nothing to worry about as long as Zekenator is here.'' Zeke swung his sword around a bit as he smirked.

*CRACK!*

''Umm…should friends worry about ice?'' Tora asked as he looked beneath him. A very noticeable crack had appeared right where he stood.

''Masterpon, have you put on weight again?'' Poppi asked, sounding almost like a disappointed parent.

''N-No. Just have eaten a few extra Tasty Sausages, that all!'' Tora said…only for another crack to form in the ice fairly close by. ''It not Tora's fault!'' He yelled, flapping his wing ears around in frustration.

''No, it's this idiot's fault for using an arte like that in the middle of a frozen pond. Let's hurry before the ice breaks completely.'' Unfortunately, they were in the middle of the pond, so they didn't have an easy short way to the safe ground.

''Oh you're exaggerating. Tantal's ice doesn't break that easily. Just look.'' Zeke said and he stomped his foot a few times, which created more and more cracks!

''My prince, I don't think that's a good…'' But Pandoria's words were interrupted by the loudest crack of them all as the ice completely broke underneath the group and after that, two sounds were heard simultaneously.

*SPLASH!* ''ZEKE!''

…

With the help of their Blades, Rex and the others had managed to make it back to the city of Theosoir and in there, to the Anastatia's inn. The Blades were perfectly fine, but unfortunately, things weren't looking as good for the Drivers.

''Atchoo! Atchoo! Atchoo!'' Rex sneezed multiple times in a row as he laid down on one of the beds. Luckily the inn was at least somewhat warm despite the cold climate, but it was clear that this fever wasn't going to disappear anytime soon. He, Zeke and Tora were all in one room while Morag and Nia were in another. Simply so that no one would get any sicker and because everyone knew they most likely had to sleep this illness off, so it was better to be separate now. Pandoria and Poppi were in the room as well, watching over their Drivers. ''I guess it was about time all of us got caught up in your bad luck.'' Rex said with a few sniffs in between.

''Bad luck? Zeke was being a big dumb-dumb!'' Tora said, trying to sound angry, but his sick voice betrayed him.

''Guys, it's not nice to bully a sick man. Isn't that right Pand…Pand…Atchoo!'' Pandoria immediately jumped a few steps back when that happened.

''Sorry my prince. Blades don't get sick, but that doesn't mean I'm exactly eager to be around you right now.'' Pandoria said.

''That's colder than the water we fell in.'' Zeke said, though he understood why Pandoria was so hesitant. ''I really am sorry about this everyone.'' Zeke then cleared his throat and lifted himself up from the bed a little. ''DID YOU HEAR THAT?! I'M SORRY!'' He yelled towards the wall. A moment of silence and…

''AS SOON AS I'M BETTER, YOU'RE GOING DOWN SHELLHEAD!'' Nia yelled back from the other side of the wall, making Zeke sigh.

''She can be so difficult to deal with.'' Zeke said, lying back down.

''Right, she's the difficult one.'' Pandoria muttered underneath her breath.

''Rex, here's some soup for you.'' A voice from the outside said as the door to the room opened up.

''Thanks a lot Pyr…Mythra?!'' Rex looked shocked as the blonde girl walked in, holding a tray with a bowl that had some sort of soup on it, probably chicken soup. Mythra paused for a bit, clearly trying to ignore that little comment and then continued to walk towards Rex's bed. ''Wait, did you make that?''

''Of course not. I would never cook for you.'' Mythra said, now standing right beside the bed. ''Pyra made it, but since she's a Fire Blade, she was worried that her presence would make you feel hot and make your fever even worse. So that's why I'm doing this.'' Her tone of voice greatly implying that she wasn't too keen on it…especially when Zeke suddenly chuckled.

''Really? I think Rex will start feeling hotter no matter which of you is present.'' Zeke said and if nothing else, that comment definitely made Rex feel hotter, by making him blush. Not that you could really see that with how red his face already was.

''Do you really want to make comments like that when I'm holding a tray with soup on it?'' Mythra said, looking like she fully intended to drop it all on the prince's lap. Zeke looked away and Mythra put the tray down on the table next to Rex's bed. ''Here you go.'' Mythra handed a spoon over to him, which Rex accepted with somewhat shaky hands. He was just about to start eating when he suddenly started lifting his head and Mythra could already tell what was going to happen. She quickly lifted the bowl up and ''Atchoo!'' Rex sneezed yet again. Had the bowl still been there, all of its contents would've definitely spilled on the bed and on Rex. ''Oh for Architect's sake, do I have to feed you?''

''That…that would probably be for the best.'' Rex said, rubbing the back of his neck nervously. ''I know you probably don't want to, but…'' Rex stopped his sentence when he saw Mythra hold a spoonful of soup in front of his face.

''Just eat so we can get this over with.'' Mythra said and Rex nodded and opened his mouth.

''Masterpon! Should Poppi do the same?'' Poppi asked as she waved her arms around frantically.

''Wait, can you even cook?'' Pandoria asked and Poppi's arms stopped and her head tilted downward.

''No, it not part of current settings. Poppi's previous settings allow that, but no access to them now.'' Poppi said and Tora sheepishly grinned a little as he thought of what Poppi was technically originally made to do and be. ''But…Poppi want to help!'' And she was back to flailing her metallic arms around.

''I heard that drinking a lot of water can help with a fever.'' Mythra said, putting another spoonful into Rex's mouth. Poppi stopped flailing her arms around and instead put them on her hips.

''Poppi is on it!'' Poppi marched out of the room, making the rest wonder if she was going to get a glass of water or something. She returned fairly quickly…and was holding a very large barrel over her head. The barrel had a faucet and a valve sticking out of it so you could get the liquid out easily. ''This should be enough water.'' Poppi said and she laid down the barrel right next to Tora's bed, making a rather loud sound as it hit the ground. She then positioned the barrel so that the faucet part was right above Tora's face.

''Poppi…'' Tora said, gulping a little.

''Open wide Masterpon!'' Poppi spun the valve a bit and soon enough water started rushing through the faucet and since Tora figured it would be better to have this water in him rather than on him, he opened his mouth.

''Poppi, when I said drinking water might help, this isn't exactly what I had in mind…' Mythra said, but the robot girl just kept on smiling, sure that this was helping.

''Yeah, I think you're about to turn Tora into a water balloon there.'' Zeke said, now kind of glad that Pandoria didn't seem to have much interest in nursing him.

Tora was flapping his wing ears about, but he couldn't get a single word out with the water constantly falling to his mouth. As such, he couldn't do anything to stop Poppi until she was absolutely sure that her Masterpon had taken enough water. And that wasn't until the barrel was nearly half empty.

''Now Masterpon full of water.'' Poppi turned the valve back off, a few drips of water still escaping to Tora's mouth, until the supply was cut off completely. ''Is Masterpon feeling better?'' Poppi asked concerned.

''Uhh…ahh…'' Tora put his hands on his stomach that was now absolutely full of water, you could practically hear it sloshing about! Hearing both that and his groans made Poppi frantic again.

''Masterpon not feeling better? Poppi must do something else then!''

''Maybe you could…'' Pandoria tried to think of something that wouldn't backfire terribly on the poor Nopon. '' Read him a bedtime story or something?'' She suggested, making Poppi's eyes light up.

''Tora…not some tiny Nopon baby who…need bedtime stories. Poppi…Poppi?'' Tora looked around only to see that the said artificial Blade was no longer in the room.

''I think she ran off to buy a book.'' Pandoria said, looking over at the wide-open door. ''Oh and I guess she doesn't have any money of her own since she took Rex's wallet.'' Pandoria then walked over to the door to close it and not let any extra cold air in the room.

''Wait what?!'' Rex nearly spit out the soup when he heard that. ''Oh Titan's foot, Theosoir's prices are so expensive!''

''Thanks for helping our economy chum!'' Zeke commented with a grin, making Rex sigh.

''Hopefully she at least picks a good book…'' If he was going to lose money he wanted it to be worth something.

''Does it really matter? It's not like you're going to read it. In fact, I don't think I have ever seen you read anything.'' Mythra said and before Rex could even answer... ''Can you even read?''

''Well that insult just went from 0 to a 100.'' Pandoria noted. She might rib on Zeke from time to time, but Mythra with Rex was on a whole different level.

''Yes I can. Just because I didn't go to school doesn't mean I'm that stupid.'' Rex knew very well that he wasn't the smartest kids around and too stubborn and optimist for his own good…but he knew how to read at least!

''Honestly chum, education is overrated. I ignored pretty much all the education my old man tried to push on me and I turned out just fine…Atchoo! …This fever aside.'' And some minor instances of bad luck.

''I don't think you want to be taking life advice from my prince here.'' Pandoria suggested and Rex nodded in agreement.

''Don't worry, I have Gramps for all the useful and useless life lessons.'' Rex said, looking over at his helmet where Azurda was sleeping, tucked in tightly with some small blankets.

…

In the other room, things were a tad quieter. Morag and Nia were both lying in beds with their Blade looking over them. …Though to be fair, the only reason Nia was being so quiet was because she didn't want to waste all her energy while being sick. She had plenty of choice words about the situation on her mind.

''I apologize my lady. I was unable to get you to safety in time.'' Dromarch said, bowing his head a little. Cold water wasn't exactly the deadliest of dangers, but he knew fully well that Nia didn't like cold all that much…or water.

''It's not your fault. We all know who's fault it is…'' Nia said and she glared at the wall, clearly hoping that Zeke would somehow feel it. ''Anyway, is it alright for Brighid to be so close to you Morag? With her being a Fire Blade and all?''

''I'm quite used to hot temperatures. I can handle it.'' Morag said, trying desperately to hold back a sneeze that would undermine her point. ''Although it has been quite a while since I was last sick.'' Quite frankly she couldn't even remember when that was.

''Knowing you, you would be working even if you had a fever.'' Nia said, making Morag smile a bit.

''I don't think His Majesty would allow me to work while sick.'' Morag said, though she didn't try to deny the accusation about trying to work in that kind of condition. ''Neither would Brighid for that matter.'' Her gaze fell to her Blade, who made a small nod.

''Indeed. You're tougher than most people, but I still wouldn't allow you to do anything that might put your health at risk.''

''If I may…sometimes I think that your bond with each other is stronger than me and my lady's.'' Dromarch said. ''How long have you been working together?'' Dromarch just hoped this wouldn't invite questions on how long he and Nia have been together. He'd rather not talk about the early days.

''I got her when I was quite young, before His Majesty was born. So it would have to be around 15 years.'' Morag said, catching Nia a bit off-guard. ''Normally Brighid is given to the emperor, but as a male successor hadn't been born yet, she was given to me.'' And since they had Aegaeon, there had been no reason to transfer Brighid over to him. Of course, the situation was a bit more complicated than that, but there was no need to mention everything.

''15 years?! …No wonder the two of you work so well together.'' Nia said, her sick tone betraying just how impressed by it she was.

''It has been quite a long process. When she was younger, Lady Morag wasn't as interested in combat.'' Brighid said and Morag shot her a little glare.

''Brighid…''Her tone pretty much saying 'you better not talk about any embarrassing childhood events. Brighid just nodded, understanding completely. ''But you're right, it has been culmination of years of train…ATCHOO!'' Morag sneezed so loud and powerfully that her hat nearly fell off. Brighid immediately responded by giving her some tissues, which Morag took gladly. ''Thank you.''

''That could've passed off as a Titan's sneeze.'' Nia started laughing a bit, only to…''atchoo!'' Unlike Morag's, her sneeze was lot more subdued, quiet and actually rather cute. ''...Snark away, I practically walked into that one.'' Nia said, taking one of the tissues Dromarch had brought her.

''I think I'm a better person than that.'' Morag said, now keeping the box of tissues close at hand I case she sneezed like that again.

''True, that's more of a Shellhead's thing. They say idiots don't catch colds, but looks like that's off the table.'' Nia said, once again glancing towards the wall.

''You seem to be quite fixated on him.'' Morag said, which immediately got her a glare from Nia.

''Oy, you'd better not be implying something.'' She didn't even want to imagine something like that!

''Of course not.'' Morag said. She knew full well who Nia had feelings for, but there was really no reason to bring that up right now. ''In any case, while I understand your frustrations with him, he's still a very reliable ally…most of the time.'' That just had to be added there.

''If nothing else, it's certainly never boring around him.'' Dromarch said, not really wanting to insult royalty too much, especially since they were in Theosoir.

''Not much of a consolation, is it?'' Brighid said and everyone else nodded in agreement. ''It's quite amazing how well Pandoria can deal with him.''

''Well she is in love with him, that helps the situation immensely, I would think.'' Morag said. ''She does tease him quite a bit, but it's clear all of it comes from a good place.'' She had heard that the two of them had been together for almost as long as she and Brighid had. Any relationship that lasted that long would have its unique quirks. And you couldn't get much more unique and quirky than those two.

Nia stayed quiet. Teasing each other playfully like that…it kind of reminded her of when she and Rex first met. She had ribbed on him maybe a bit too much, but he didn't seem too bothered and even answered cleverly back a few times. But of course, that was before Jin killed him. Before Rex met Pyra. Nowadays, she just couldn't enjoy the banter with him as much as she did, no matter how hard she tries. Not with a certain thought constantly nagging at the back of her head…

Her train of thought was interrupted when the door opened and Poppi walked in, holding a book. ''Poppi? What are you doing here?'' Dromarch asked. He highly doubted the robot girl had made a mistake in rooms.

''Poppi want to make sure everyone is okay.'' Poppi said with a smile, which made the others smile as well.

''Oh bless your heart.'' Brighid said and now Poppi looked confused.

''Poppi not have one of those. Poppi is heartless.'' She said, and no one felt like correcting her, in fear of getting into a too long of a conversation about the topic.

''Anyway, what's with the book?'' Nia asked and Poppi held it up proudly. The book wasn't particularly thin or thick. At a glance it looked to be about 200 or so pages. The book's front and back covers were both green and there was a small four-legged beast on the cover with a heart over it.

''Poppi buy it to read for Masterpon. It's called The Armu Who Loved!'' She announced it so excitedly, but the rest couldn't really share her enthusiasm.

''That's a rather peculiar title.'' Morag mused. She couldn't even imagine what it was about. Presumably about an Armu that was in love…but how do you make a story out of that? And who was it in love with?

''Poppi chose it because it sound most simple, almost as simple as Masterpon.'' Poppi then put the book down on a nearby table. ''Friends discussing Zeke?'' Her hearing was fine-tuned enough to hear that from outside the room.

''Yeah and since you happened to show up, what do you think of Shellhead?'' Nia asked. She couldn't remember if Zeke and Poppi had even talked to each other that much.

''Zeke confuses Poppi a lot.'' Well that was something they could all agree on. ''Zeke can't seem to decide whether to be cool or silly, should just choose one like Poppi. Poppi have two forms, but still same Poppi always.'' She demonstrated this by activating her QT form. Honestly no one was sure on how she managed to transform that quickly from one form to another, but it was better not to question it. ''Zeke reliable and not reliable. Very confusing.'' She then transformed back to the Alpha form.

''That seems to be the general consensus.'' Dromarch said. ''I understand that his upbringing is a bit unusual, but still…'' Once again, not eager to insult royalty in their own kingdom, even if it was exiled royalty.

''Maybe getting us all sick will be a lesson for him to start taking things more seriously.'' Morag suggested and this was met with a few seconds of silence and then…

''I don't think so.''

''Hell no.''

''Unlikely.''

''Poppi think it impossible.''

''I suppose I should've expected such a blunt response. But I have some hope that Zeke will…ATCHOO!'' Morag sneezed yet again and actually Nia sneezed at the same time, not that you could hear that over the sound of the Special Inquisitor's more powerful one.

''Poppi should go back and make sure Masterpon is okay. Masterpon eagerly waiting for the book.'' Poppi said as she picked up the book again. ''Will Morag and Nia be alright?''

''Don't worry. Me and Dromarch can look after them.'' Brighid said and Dromarch confirmed it with a nod.

''Roger that.'' Poppi said and she walked on over to the door. But before she left, she turned around one more time. ''Nia?'' Addressed cat girl looked over in confusion. ''Zeke not have shell for a head. Poppi think it very weird you'd be that confused.''

''…Right.'' Honestly, what could she say to something like that. Poppi smiled one more time and then left the room.

…

Back in the other room, Zeke was trying to sleep with Pandoria watching over him, sitting pretty close by now that she wasn't worried he was suddenly going to sneeze on her. Tora on the other hand was still trying to calm his stomach down after the ridiculous amount of water it was forced to take. As for Rex and Mythra…

''That was really delicious. Can you thank Pyra for me?'' Rex asked, having now finished all of his soup, down to the very last drop.

''I will, I'm sure she'll appreciate it.'' Mythra said, putting the bowl and the spoon away on a nearby table.

''Hey…are the two of you okay?'' Rex suddenly asked, rising a bit from the bed as he did and also catching Mythra a bit off-guard.

''Why do you ask?''

''It's just, we share our wounds and all. I was worried that me being sick would affect you two as well. '' He said and Mythra couldn't help smiling a bit.

''Thanks for that, but you don't have to worry. Something like that doesn't affect us.'' Aegis couldn't' be taken down by a mere illness or virus after all!

''Okay, that's good.'' Rex said, resting his head back on the pillow. ''I guess it was a bit of a silly question, considering how fine you look.'' Rex said…and it took him about a second to realize how that sentence sounded. ''I...I didn't mean it like that! I only meant that you don't look sick! Not that you don't look attractive, but…'' Rex could already tell he was digging his own grave and there was no way back up.

Luckily for him though, Mythra just laughed a bit…though if he had been really observant, he could've seen some red on her cheeks. ''Clearly Azurda should've taught you how to speak with girls.''

''Actually Aunt Corrine did tell me a thing or three, but there weren't really any girls my age back in Fonsett and I left pretty early to become a salvager anyway. Argentum is full of business, wasn't much time to be around girls there either…'' Rex rubbed the back of his neck nervously and as Mythra looked at him, she noticed something.

''You have some soup on your face. Let me get that for you.'' Mythra took one of the many tissues and leaned in closer to get the soup off of there. Rex felt his face get hotter yet again and Mythra realized just how close their faces were now. Their golden eyes met and kept gazing into each other, as if admiring the most beautiful gold mine. Mythra's hand moved ever so slightly to take the napkin out of the way, so nothing was obscuring Rex's face. They could practically feel each other's breath on their skin. All either of them would have to do is move their head a little bit closer and…

''Masterpon, I found a book!'' Mythra instantly jumped back, her face now as red as Rex's was while Rex looked the opposite way. ''Is Mythra feeling sick too?'' Poppi asked, immediately noticing how red her face was.

''It's nothing!' Mythra said, putting a hand on her chest and feeling how her heart was thumping faster than usual. ''I'm…I'm going to get some fresh air.'' Mythra said and she walked out of the room, making sure not to look at Rex when she did. Once outside, she closed the door and leaned against it, trying to calm herself down.

''Mythra?'' Pyra asked in her head.

''I'm fine….it was just a heat of a moment thing, that's all.'' She didn't want to kiss Rex when he was sick! …Not that she wanted to do it when he wasn't sick either!

''Ugh…can't Zekenator get some shut-eye?'' Zeke said as his eyes slowly opened. Well, eye since it's not like you could see the other one behind the eyepatch. He looked around and then noticed something. ''Where did Mythra go?''

''Mythra left with face all red…same as Rex now that Poppi noticed.'' Poppi said and this made Zeke grin while Rex was completely unable to escape the situation or to get the red off of his face.

''Oh chum, what did you do?'' When he had first been tasked to keep an eye on the Aegis, he would've never thought that he would see stuff like this!

''I didn't do anything!'' In fact, he was pretty sure that if he had done something, things would be even worse and more awkward. ''Can you just…read the book for us Poppi?'' To be honest, staying sick for a while now didn't seem all that bad, if it meant that he wouldn't have to face Mythra or Pyra for a while.

…

And there you have it! Like I said, this will be a series of One-Shots that aren't really connected. They're just a series of fun situations and events I want to write about with these characters and I figured it's better to have everything in one instead of just writing bunch of different one-shots. I already have ideas for the next four chapters, but feel free to comment about particular scenarios you'd like to see. Note, these are not requests as I can't promise I will write them, but if I get inspired by them, then it might happen.

Review if you liked, review if you didn't like and I'll see you with the next chapter!


	2. Back to School

This takes place sometime after the sidequest School is in Session. so if you haven't done that, you might be a bit confused. Hope you enjoy!

…

If there was one place in Alrest you knew you could just relax in, it was the Lefterian Archipelago and more precisely, Fonsett Village. Rex and the others had decided to take a little time for themselves and just enjoy the peaceful and serene village for everything it had to offer. And of course for Rex, that also meant vising his parents' graves. Like always, he was kneeling in front of the graves.

''It was nice talking to you two again.'' Rex said, closing his eyes for a few seconds. He was alone by the graves this time. As much as he loved talking to his parents with Pyra, he needed times like these alone as well. ''I'll get to Elysium, I swear.'' He only wished that that he knew if that was something his parents had dreamed of as well. Rex stood up straight and left the graveyard, the wind rustling the leaves in the nearby trees ever so slightly. When he looked to his left, he saw the Azure Schoolhouse, the school that he and the others helped build here. He hoped that with that, the children would learn to become great salvagers! …Not that there was anything wrong with other occupations, salvaging was just the best.

Rex kept walking across the town, greeting everyone who he happened to come across until he got to Corrine's house. Corrine herself was inside, doing the dishes after the lunch they had some time ago. ''Are you okay by yourself Aunt Corrine?'' Rex asked, walking inside the cozy house.

''I do this every day, so I would think I'm fine.'' Corrine said, turning around to face Rex with a smile. ''But now that you're here, there's something I want to discuss with you.''

''What is it?'' Rex asked, though he immediately got a bit worried that she was going to tease him about Pyra or something.

''Don't worry, this isn't about Pyra.'' Corrine said and Rex's mouth opened in shock at the statement, making Corrine laugh. ''It's written all over your face when you're thinking about that girl…which is most of the time might I add.'' Corrine teased, making Rex blush ever so slightly. He just never could get fully used to these comments. ''No, what I wanted to discuss was the school.''

''Do we still need something for it?'' Rex asked worried. Tracking down all the materials and the potential teachers had been quite an ordeal already.

''It's not that. Do you remember how you had to teach one class for the kids?'' Corrine asked and Rex nodded in response. He wasn't going to forget that anytime soon, especially when his salvaging lesson caused a pretty big monster to show up! ''Well lately the kids have said that they would like to have another lesson from you…and not just you.''

''You mean…?'' Rex let the sentence hang there as he figured Corrine was going to continue.

''They want you and your friends to all hold lessons for them. They're paying attention in normal classes, but they would really like a day of school like that. I know you're busy, but the kids would really appreciate it.'' Corrine said and Rex didn't have to think about his answer twice.

''Of course we'll do it!'' Rex clenched his fist determined. He wasn't going to let this class end like the first one!

''I knew you'd say that. After all, you would never disappoint the kids or me.'' Corrine mused.

''Only because I know how many embarrassing stories you have of me!'' Rex said, and he laughed a bit afterwards. ''Nah, I'm sure it will be fun. I'll go tell the others.'' Rex said, going back outside. He was sure that the others were going to be really happy about this opportunity as well.

…

''You promised what?!'' Nia yelled, making Rex take a step back in shock.

''I said we would teach classes to the kids. I didn't expect you to be so opposed to the idea.'' Rex looked around at the others. At the very least they didn't look too upset at the possibility.

''Helping kids is fine and all, but we aren't exactly teachers. Unless you want to teach combat, which I doubt.'' Nia pointed out and then sighed. ''You just couldn't help yourself, could you? Always thinking so optimistically of things.''

''Sorry, that's just how I am.'' Rex made a sheepish grin, which made Nia smile a little as well. Honestly, she couldn't stay mad at him for long.

''Nia does have a point, teaching isn't something any of us are really that well-versed in.'' Zeke said and Rex's shoulders slumped a bit in disappointment. ''But, who's to say these lessons need to be that serious anyway? We can always lighten them up a bit.''

''If there's someone who knows how to take the seriousness out of situations, it's definitely you my prince!'' Pandoria said and Zeke laughed it off, taking it as a compliment.

''How about you Morag?'' Rex asked, turning to the Special Inquisitor in question.

''Well, it has been quite a while, but I did help Niall with his studies when he was younger.'' Honestly the amount of work they gave that boy was too much sometimes, even if he was the emperor. ''So I have some experience and I'm sure with Brighid's assistance I can get something done.'' Morag nodded to her Blade who nodded back.

''Tora a bit nervous, but eager to prove himself! Tora is sure there are lot Tora can teach!'' Tora flapped his wing ears around all excitedly

''Poppi make sure Masterpon stay on topic and not laze around, no matter how hard that is.'' Poppi said, saluting just to make her point stronger.

''How about you Pyra?'' Rex asked from the red-haired girl who had been quiet up until now.

''Well I would love to help and I'm sure the two of us can teach something together. I doubt Mythra has any objections either.'' Pyra said with a small smile.

''Sounds like one of the most boring things ever.' Mythra said, but Pyra didn't drop her smile.

''She says she's looking forward to it.'' She just had to talk to her a little before this class, that's all.

Nia looked at others and sighed. ''Well I guess if everyone else is in, I'm in too.''

''Don't worry my lady, I'll make sure that everything goes smoothly.'' Dromarch assured. ''I can even take the lead in the lesson if need be.'' Nia nodded in appreciation, though that made her think of something.

''What are we supposed to be teaching anyway?'' Nia asked and the look on Rex's face told her the answer before he even opened his mouth. ''Let me guess, you didn't even ask that.''

''Well no, but I have a pretty good idea. We did have to look for a Science, History and Language teachers for the school after all, so at least those three.'' Rex said and then started to wonder how they could divide those roles.

''Me and Lady Morag can take care of the history lesson. I think we're the most versed in that area.'' Brighid said and Rex nodded, having no problems with that. Sure Pyra and Mythra had been around for a really long time and still had memories of that time, but he highly doubted they would have to teach the kids about the Aegis War.

''Ooh, Tora teach science! Tora tell everyone how to make their very own artificial blade!'' Tora could already imagine it, all the kids getting new friends so easily!

''Poppi result of three generations of work. It impossible to repeat in a single school lesson.'' Poppi said, bringing Tora back to earth…literally, he was almost getting some height from his wing ears!

''That leaves language, I think me and Pyra can take care of that.'' Rex looked over to Pyra who nodded in response…while also trying to ignore Mythra's complaints.

''Good call chum. If we had given that to Nia, the kids would be learning a whole bunch of curse words.'' Zeke said, earning him a glare from Nia.

''And if you had gotten it Shellhead, the kids would be running around yelling stuff like Chaotic Bringer of Chaos.'' Nia shuddered at the mere thought of it. One Zeke was more than enough for Alrest. ''Anyway, I guess me and Dromarch could teach biology. We do both know a lot about plants and stuff.'' She was pretty sure she could talk enough about that for one lesson.

''That just leaves me and my prince…'' Pandoria thought about it. Surely there was something they could really excel at that.

''Oh this is easy. You can't have a proper school day without some exercise. Me and Pandy can teach some physical education.'' Zeke demonstrated this by doing some stretches and as if reading his mind, Pandoria started doing it at the exactly same time. Honestly it was kind of scary how in sync the two of them could be.

''Well you are probably the best person for the job.'' Rex commented. Zeke was the most physically fit out of them, something that was pretty much impossible to ignore with how he kept his jacket open.

''Thanks chum, you can count on the Zekenator!'' Zeke stopped his stretches and gave a thumbs up.

''Just try not to fall off to the cloud sea during your lesson.'' Nia said, though she was fully expecting that to happen no matter how much Shellhead prepared.

''You focus on your lesson and I focus on making mine great. In fact, I'm sure that by the end of the day, the kids will love me even more than they love Rex!'' Zeke put his hands on his hips and grinned confidently. Rex smiled, glad that everyone had agreed to do this and had at least some level of motivation to do it.

''Great, so use this evening to think of your lesson plans so that your classes are ready for tomorrow.'' Rex said and started walking towards Corrine's house.

''Ahem, forgetting someone Rex?'' Rex stopped when Azurda flew off from his helmet and started fluttering right in front of his face. ''You didn't even suggest that I could teach one of the classes.'' The small titan huffed and crossed his arms.

''Sorry gramps. It's just, I don't think anyone would stay awake if they had to listen you lecture for more than 15 minutes straight.'' Rex said with a small chuckle, earning him a small knock on the head from Azurda. Not that it hurt with how small and soft his arms were.

''That's rather rude, coming from someone who used to spend half his time talking with me.'' The other half was of course spend doing salvager business. ''But fine, if you don't want my help I won't push it.'' He said and then went back inside Rex's helmet.

''Gramps…'' Hopefully he wasn't too hurt by that. ''Anyway Pyra, we should plan our lesson now.'' Rex turned around to face the red-haired girl.

''Right.'' Pyra said. ''Try to be little more enthusiastic about this Mythra.'' She said in her mind, making the blonde girl roll her eyes, not that Pyra could see that right now.

''It's not the lesson that's the problem, it's the kids. You know how they're going to react, right?'' Mythra said and Pyra fell silent, which to Mythra said that she knew very well what was going to happen. ''As long as you're ready for it. It's probably for the best that I stay out of it.'' She added.

''Yes.'' Pyra knew that the kids were going to make comments about her and Rex's relationship, but she would just have to not think about it too much. And hopefully not blush too much either.

…

The heroic group of Drivers and Blades had spent many hours last evening on planning out their 45-minute lessons. There was going to be a 15-minute recess between each one, with the exception of the one between the third and fourth one which was going to be a 30-minute lunch break. So all in all this was going to last exactly five hours. And it all started with Tora's lesson at 8:15. Morag had begrudgingly agreed that the history lesson was probably not the best way to start a day for still somewhat tired kids, Nia had no interest in being first, Rex figured that him starting would lift the bar too high for the others because the kids already look up to him and physical education wasn't the best way to start out the day either. And so Tora's was the one that was going to be first.

Like usual the lessons were held outside the schoolhouse as the weather was perfect with sunny and clear skies and not much wind either. The children could hardly stay on their seats. Not only was Rex going to give them a lesson, so were all of his friends! This was going to be the best day of school ever! Scratch that, it was going to be the best day ever period!

''Hello children! My name is Tora and this here is Poppi. We will be teaching you science today.'' Tora said as he walked up to front of everyone so he was standing by the chalkboard. Poppi followed him, doing her usual marching walk like always. ''Tora a good friend of Rex-Rex so will do his best to help and teach!'' Tora put his hands on his sides to show off a more confident look.

''Wow!''

''So cool!''

''Amazing!''

Tora grinned, he hadn't even started and already the children were loving him. Rex-Rex was going to be so proud of him! ''First…'' It was then that Tora noticed something. None of the kids were looking at him, all of them had their eyes on Poppi!

''Umm Poppi, what exactly are you?'' One of the boys asked and Tora opened his mouth to respond, but…

''Poppi is Artificial Blade, created by three Nopon generations. Poppi support Masterpon in battle, beat up enemies and protect other friends as well.'' Poppi said, excitedly waiving her arms around at the attention she was getting.

''You're so cute!'' One of the girls yelled out.

''Poppi pleased to hear that. Cuteness one of the primacy characteristics Masterpon, Masterpon's dadapon and grampypon had in mind when creating Poppi.''

''Alright then, if friends can get started with the lesson…'' Tora turned around to write something on the chalkboard.

''Poppi, what other things you can do besides help in battle?'' Another girl asked, before Tora could even get a single word written.

''Poppi can lift up heavy objects.'' Poppi demonstrated this by picking up Tora with a single arm, showing absolutely no struggle with it at all. Tora however, was struggling to get out of this situation. ''Poppi can also fly.'' Poppi activated her jet boosters and lifted off towards the sky.

''OHH!'' All the children of the class watched in awe, having never seen anything like this in their young lives. Poppi didn't fly for long and got back down to the front of the class, when the kids started clapping.

''Tora's head all dizzy now…'' Tora said, trying to gather his thoughts and remember his lesson plan. They were already late on the schedule, but he was sure he could catch up and…

''Can you let me fly too?''

''Please Poppi, just one time!''

''I want to fly!''

But the kids clearly had other priorities right now. Heck, they were already getting lined up in front of Poppi so she could start giving them lifts

''Poppi love to! Masterpon, do you agree?'' Poppi asked and thus she and all the kids turned towards him, making the Nopon gulp. He could already tell that saying no wouldn't end well for him. Sure they were young kids, but together…who knew what they could do to a soft Nopon like him?

''O-Of course that fine.'' Tora said with a small nervous chuckle, followed by a small sigh. He had so wanted to prove his teaching capabilities to Rex-Rex and others, but that clearly wasn't happening anytime soon.

''YAY!'' The kids all cheered in unison and so Poppi started giving them air lifts one by one. She tried to keep each ride around the same length, though there were a few who wanted a longer one and few who wanted shorter ones. The main thing was that all of them were having fun. Fonsett Village was a lovely place to be sure, but there wasn't terribly much you could do there and exploring the Archipelago could and would get easily dangerous with monsters around. This was a completely new and fun experience for all of them and they loved every second of it, as evidenced by the constant laughter that could he heard from anywhere in the village. Already this was the best school day they ever had and it was only just getting started.

After some time, every child had gotten their turn and Poppi returned to the ground. And there was still some time to have an actual lesson as well. If Tora just focused on the main points then maybe…

''Is there still something else you can do?'' Mark asked and the kids nodded eagerly along, hoping to see something else as well.

''Well, Poppi can do this!'' Poppi was suddenly covered by red light and in a flash, she had transformed to her second form. ''This is Poppi's QT form.'' She made a small curtsy, befitting her maid look.

''Wow!'' These kids just never stopped being impressed, but could you blame them? An Artificial Blade that can fight, fly and transform? Who wouldn't love something like that? Just one of those things would be amazing and she had all of them going for her! ''What does QT stand for?''

''Quixotic Tubular!'' Tora blurted out, just so he could get at least few words in. Unfortunately, they weren't the most common words.

''…What?'' The kids didn't even try to pronounce the two words and some of them were pretty convinced that their Nopon teacher had just invented them.

''In this form Poppi is even stronger and can shoot missiles. Unfortunately can't show here, would blow up the school building.'' And possibly a couple trees as well. This just got the children talking even more and Tora could swear at least one of them said that they wouldn't mind that happening to the school building if it meant no more school for a little while.

''Yes, indeed. Instead should focus on lesson and…'' Tora was ready to finally begin and…

''Alright kids, that's the end of the first class.'' Willas, the town's mayor and now school's principal said.

''That was a lot of fun Poppi!''

''Keep protecting big bro Rex!''

''You're the best blade ever!''

The kids then stood up from their chairs and started to play and chat with each other nearby. Poppi kept on smiling, but Tora slumped to the ground, looking up at the chalkboard that was nearly completely blank, only having a few lines from when he tried to write something down.

''Why is Masterpon upset?' Poppi asked, now reverting back to her alpha mode.

''Tora didn't do anything, Tora couldn't show what he was capable of to Rex-Rex or others. Tora just feels so useless sometimes.'' Tora sighed, but then felt Poppi's metallic arm on his head.

''Praise of Poppi is praise of Masterpon. Poppi liked all the praise, because it mean Masterpon did a good job with Poppi. Poppi wouldn't be here without Masterpon, so please don't feel down! Masterpon the only Driver for Poppi and Poppi very glad about that.'' Poppi then moved her arm to give her creator a hug and Tora was stunned for a moment, but then he smiled.

''Poppi right. Poppi always right.'' Tora hugged her back, making Poppi smile a lot too.

''Poppi very proud of Masterpon.''

''Tora very proud of Poppi for the lesson. Celebrate with tasty sausage next!''

''Roger that Masterpon!''

…

15 minutes had passed and now it was time for the history class. The kids were once again in their seats, wondering what kind of amazing class they would have now! Morag and Brighid certainly made a strong impression with their appearance alone. Morag stood straight in front of the class, keeping her hands behind her back like she often did.

''Good morning children. I'm Mor Ardain's Special Inquisitor Morag and this is my Blade, Brighid. We'll be teaching you history today.'' Morag said and she would've continued…if it wasn't for the fact that all the kids were staring at her worriedly…and some even looked a bit scared.

''Lady Morag, maybe try to be less stern and stiff. You're making the children nervous.'' Brighid suggested.

''Alright…'' Morag let her hands fall to her sides and she relaxed her shoulders. ''Are you ready to learn, children?'' She tried to add a small smile there, but it came out as little forced. The kids were still quiet, still looking a bit unsure. ''What did I do wrong now?'' Morag turned to Brighid, who looked a bit amused with the situation.

''I think it's your outfit. You just can't help giving off a militaristic feeling, which doesn't exactly fit a school.'' There was nothing wrong with the outfit itself, this just wasn't the best occasion for it.

''Well I'm not going to change my outfit now, but…'' She did think of one thing she could do to maybe help. She removed her hat, thus also making it so that her face wasn't obstructed anymore. ''Please relax, I'm only here to teach, not to try to recruit you to Mor Ardain.'' She knew more than a few soliders who were way too eager to let people resonate with Core Crystals.

''Umm…you said you were a Special Inquisitor, right?'' One of the girls finally spoke up and Morag nodded. ''Does that mean you know the emperor?'' She asked, her voice getting a bit cheerier and higher.

''Yes. Me and His Majesty are rather close.'' Morag said, feeling a bit hesitant. Where was this girl going with this line of questioning?

''Well, I heard that he is young and I wondered…is he cute?'' Now the girl was blushing a little while Morag's eyes widened in shock.

''E-Excuse me?'' Not even she could take question like that with a calm composure.

''None of us have ever seen the emperor in person, we only know he's young and hard-working, so we're really curious about what he looks like!'' Hazel added, putting Morag even more in a spot than she already was.

''Well…I suppose you could say that he is cute.'' Morag said somewhat awkwardly, all the while Brighid tried to stifle her laughter.

''Can you tell us something about him? Maybe something about when he was our age?'' A third girl asked and many of the kids started nodding, showing their desire to know more.

''I'm afraid I cannot. This is supposed to be a history lesson, not…'' Morag stopped her sentence when she noticed that many of the kids were looking down and their lips were quivering a bit. Some of them were almost rubbing their eyes already.

''Lady Morag I don't think it's wise to make the children cry.'' Brighid said, making Morag sigh. She didn't even do anything wrong!

''Alright then, I'll tell you, but just one story.'' Morag said and immediately the class was all smiles and sunshine! ''His Majesty wasn't the most eager student, back when he lived in Gormott. He knew his responsibilities of course, but that didn't mean he didn't want to play outside like all the other kids of his age. Because of this, he had a bit of a tendency to run off every now and then to play at a nearby lake. If I recall, he did it once a week almost.'' Morag said, making some of children giggle. ''In any case, I was tasked with looking after him…'' She figured it might be for the better not to reveal her and Niall's connection. The kids were too excitable to begin with and it would only invite more questions about topics she probably shouldn't talk about too openly. ''But even that wasn't really enough to keep him focused. I checked one thing with one of the servants and in that time, he had escaped from the window and ran off somewhere.''

''He sounds like a bit of a handful.'' Mulaea snickered a bit when he heard that. Who knew the great emperor of Mor Ardain had been like that in the past?

''At times, but I never really had a problem with it. In any case, I followed after him since I knew where he loved to go every time.'' Morag smiled a bit. Even today, he still loved that lake in Gormott. ''I found him sitting by the lake bank, his toes just barely reaching the water. He noticed me and I was ready to scold him…but to be honest, the way he looked at me made me feel sorry for him. It wasn't his fault that he was born into this responsibility and it was a very heavy burden for someone so young to bear. So I sat down with him and we just enjoyed the scenery and the silence.''

''You two didn't talk?'' Hazel asked and Morag shook her head.

''No. Neither me nor His Majesty are that good at small talk and if I'm being honest, just silence was enough.'' When you were as close as they were, there was no need to fill every minute with words. ''I'm not sure how long we sat there for. It could have been up to an hour…when His Majesty suddenly pushed me into the lake.'' Morag almost let out a laugh as she thought back to it, but the children certainly didn't hold back on how amusing they found it. ''Honestly, I probably would've been madder at him if he hadn't immediately jumped in himself. After that…we just splashed water at each other and kept laughing. Neither of us even thinking about what we were supposed to be doing and what kind of roles we were supposed to lead in the future.''

''Truly a shame I couldn't be there to witness that.'' Brighid said with a small smile of her own. Honestly, Morag genuinely laughing wasn't something you saw that often. Even she had only seen it a few times.

''Well you didn't miss much, unfortunately. Very soon after that, butlers and maids found us and of course immediately pulled us out of the water. Our clothes were completely soaked and both of us got quite a scolding from our actions. Not to mention a persistent flu for a few days.'' One of the rare times she had been sick to be honest. ''In any case, His Majesty told me afterwards that despite the time being brief, it was the most fun he had had in a long time. So I would say it was worth it in the end.'' Morag said and then turned to face the chalkboard. ''Now with that out of the way, let us…''

''More! More! More!'' The children started chanting, their curiosity had clearly been peaked by this one story and now they wanted to know more about the emperor and his young escapades.

''But I…'' Morag started saying, but the children kept chanting with very demanding yet somewhat adorable looks on their faces. Eventually, Morag sighed. ''Very well then. I'll tell you more.'' Morag said, causing the class to erupt into cheers…cheers that were just a bit too premature. ''But, only if you pass this pop quiz.'' Morag said, gesturing at the stack of papers on the nearby table.

''Aww…'' The transition from the loud cheering to that melancholic sigh would've probably given almost anyone a whiplash. Still, it was pretty clear that they wanted to hear more, so Morag started passing the papers around with the children begrudgingly accepting them. Once Morag had shared all of them, she returned to the front of the class. ''You have 10 minutes.'' It wasn't a terribly long quiz, so that felt like appropriate amount of time.

''I'm glad you decided to tell them about Niall. You were smiling the whole time you were telling the story.'' Brighid said. ''Though it's a bit mean to have the kids do a test out of the blue.''

''They're the future of Alrest, I wanted to make sure they at least learn something.'' Morag crossed her arms and looked up to the sky. ''Not that any of us know what the future holds for this world…''

''And yet knowing that, you have no problem letting Rex lead the way.'' Brighid commented, making Morag chuckle a bit.

''He may be young, but he can be a leader. He reminds me of Niall in some ways, which is why I intend to make sure he reaches his potential.'' The Aegis was of course Rex's greatest support, but she'd like to think that the rest of them can offer some help to the boy as well.

''Whatever the future holds, I'll be there to support you every step of the way, Lady Morag.'' Brighid said and put a hand on her Driver's shoulder. Morag nodded in her direction.

''That's all I need.''

…

Zeke and Pandoria were very gung ho about their class and had pretty much showed up as soon as Morag and Brighid's class ended. The Ardainian pair could only hope that Zeke and Pandoria hadn't thought of anything too difficult or tiring for the kids. Soon enough the kids were back from their break and once again they were excited to start another lesson with two of Rex's friends!

''I am Zeke von Genbu, the Bringer of Chaos, but you all may address me as…the Zekenator!'' Zeke did a little pose while Pandoria stretched out his arms towards his direction as if to say 'look how cool this guy is'.

''Zekenator?'' Kirk asked, his tone clearly indicating he wasn't too impressed.

''I sense doubt in your voice. Would it help if I told you I am the crown prince of Tantal?'' Zeke asked and this made some of the children gasp. First they got to hear and learn about Emperor of Mor Ardain and now they actually got to meet prince of Tantal. ''Though I admit, I don't really care that much about the royalty stuff or my father ever since…''

''You two eloped?!'' Kazuna asked before Zeke could finish his statement and this came so out of left field that both Zeke and Pandoria actually blushed a little.

''N-No it isn't like that! My prince just took me with him when he started traveling and ignoring his father and responsibilities to pursue other things and…'' Pandoria's voice trailed off when she realized that sounded a lot like eloping. Not that she particularly minded of course…

''That's…that's a pretty rare word you know. I can see your teachers are good.' Zeke sounded a bit nervous himself, clearly eager to change the subject. ''But, I'm going to be the greatest teacher you kids have ever had!''

''We haven't really had that many teachers though…'' One of the boys said under his breath, not really sure if he wanted this guy to hear his comment or not.

''For your physical education we'll be starting with a jolly jog around the village. Everyone, follow me!'' Zeke already ran off…only to immediately stumble upon a rock, but luckily he didn't fall over…because there was a tree right in front of him so he just smacked right against it. ''You don't have to follow that.'' Zeke groused. After everything he has went through the impact didn't hurt, but it was still frustrating.

''We weren't going to.'' Kirk said and Pandoria sighed. This was off to a great start.

Zeke picked himself up quickly from that and started running again and the children followed. Pandoria stuck close to Zeke, knowing that he was most likely going to need her help if he ended up getting into trouble…when he ends up getting into trouble. The trip around the village was going to be made counter-clock-wise, so the first point of interest was Oratory Knoll Cemetery. No one was by the graves at the time though.

''Chum…'' Zeke looked over at the graves, specifically the graves of Rex's parents. From what he heard, Rex had taken Pyra and only Pyra to visit them and no one else had decided to ask if they could meet them. They weren't afraid that Rex would be offended by it or anything, it was just a touchy subject. Besides, Zeke himself wasn't sure what he could say about it. They could maybe bond over missing mothers, but as for fathers…not so much. Honestly there had been times when he had wished his old man was dead, maybe Tantal would've been better off. Of course, he didn't think like that anymore, but still his old man made some aggravating decisions that made their relationship…complicated. Definitely not something he needed or wanted to discuss with someone who doesn't have any parents. Besides, Rex didn't seem too bothered by the situation so it would definitely be for the best for him to not bring it up and…

''My prince, watch out!'' Pandoria's yell snapped Zeke back to reality and he noticed he was going to crash against a tree again!

''Not this time!'' Zeke said and dodged to the left of the tree, saving him from the collision. Unfortunately, he failed to notice that the tree had a particularly large root sticking out of the ground on the left side so…''Woah!'' He ended up tripping over it and…*THUD!* falling to the ground. The children all stopped, some looking at Zeke with uncertain eyes, others trying to hold in their laughter.

''Does this happen a lot with him?'' Mark asked from Pandoria.

''Actually, it has been happening less today than I was expecting.'' Practically nothing happened before their class started! ''But you don't have to worry about him, he can take hits like this.'' After all he was used to it…and build really, really well if you asked her.

''Right you are Pandy. Let's keep a move on!'' Zeke said, rising up again and then continuing their run. They left the graveyard and were closing in on the different shops the village had. Of course, Fonsett Village was rather small, so the business was hardly booming, but everyone made enough to make ends meet and the happy smiles all around made it clear that everyone loved working and living here.

''I hope you're having a fun day!''

''Try not to give Rex and his friends too much trouble!''

''Keep an eye out for those kids.''

''Don't worry. My Eye of Shining Justice will do just that!'' Zeke yelled back, which probably just confused people rather than reassured them. Nevertheless, Zeke kept leading the group across town, until they were nearing the point where most kids loved to jump off to the Cloud Sea. ''So this is where he learned the tricks of his trade…'' Zeke had to admit, he could definitely understand why Rex became a salvager when he looked at this place. Surrounded by Cloud Sea from all sides, there being practically perfect jumping spots all over and the monsters in the immediate vicinity weren't hostile at all. And it's not like there were many other career options around anyway. The only nearby school used to be the one in Indol and you couldn't really send many or almost any kids there without a lot of money. When you considered all that, Rex had honestly done pretty well for himself and…

''My prince!'' He heard Pandoria yell again and he had to wonder if he nearly ran into another one of those pesky trees that were all over the place. But no, the reality was that he nearly ran off the cliff!

''Woah there!'' Zeke came to a halt, very nearly, but not quite falling over the edge. ''Thanks for that Pandy.'' Zeke said, making Pandoria smile a little.

''I'm confused. Are you supposed to be his girlfriend or babysitter?'' Hazel asked, once again making the pair rather flustered.

''L-Listen here. Pandoria is my partner and my Blade. It's because of her that I can use the greatest sword around, the Purple Lightning Dream Smasher!'' Zeke swung the large sword around with practiced ease and then stuck it against the ground blade first. ''So our relationship is simply…''

*CRACK!*

''That sound…no…'' Zeke looked below his feet to see the ground underneath him crumbling, having clearly been weakened by his sword. Unfortunately, he didn't have any time to react further as the cliff gave away completely! ''NOT AGAIN!'' Zeke yelled in despair as he fell down quite a bit, before hitting the cloud sea for a somewhat decent landing. ''Seriously, what are the edges and cliffs of this place made of if they…''' Zeke's sentence was cut short when he realized that he had fallen on top of something. Something very large, very fish-like and very angry, an Eclipse Serprond. ''It was an accident…'' Zeke said, gulping very audibly. The monster's only counter-argument was a very loud roar, which was a pretty convincing one, all things considered.

''Please tell me not all real princes are like this.'' Kazuna asked, sounding a bit worried. Clearly reading fairy tales had given her a certain idea of how princes should be.

''You don't have to worry. My prince is one-of a kind.'' And she wouldn't want him any other way! ''Don't worry Zeke, I'm coming for you.'' Pandoria said, before diving into the cloud sea herself.

…

Nia still wasn't really looking forward to her lesson. Sure, Dromarch promised that he would take the lead and take care of most things, but that didn't mean she was completely relaxed. It's just…in all honesty, what did she have to teach these kids? Everything her father taught her was either useless or pushed out of her memory. That really only left fighting and healing, which they were not going to teach. Everything else she knew was basically something almost anyone could tell you. The only reason she knew little bit more about plants was because she spent so much time hiding in the nature and forests when Indol was after her. She had to pick some things up or she would've definitively died.

''My lady, are you ready?'' Dromarch asked concerned, getting Nia to focus again.

''Yes Dromarch, let's get it over with.'' Nia said. At least Shellhead had been before her so that meant that her lesson definitely couldn't be weirder than his…at least she hoped so. If nothing else, at least the kids looked fine, which meant that Zeke's bad luck hadn't rubbed off on any of them.

''Good day children. I'm Dromarch. Me and my lady will be teaching you biology today.'' Dromarch said, keeping his tone calm and serious like always, already giving him a wiser vibe than Zeke did during his entire lesson. ''Now, if you have any questions to start out with, I'd be more than happy to answer them.''

''Are you a Gormotti?'' Mulaea asked, pointing at Nia's ears, which seemed to twitch a little at the attention.

''Yeah, I am.'' Nia said. It was lot easier to admit to that than to talk about being a Flesh Eater. These kids didn't need to know what they were.

''Have you been friends with big bro Rex for long?'' Mark asked.

''Yeah, I have.'' She wasn't sure what these kids meant by long, but it had definitely been long enough for her.

''I saw a wanted poster that looked really similar to you. Do you know anything about that?'' Hazel asked.

''…Nope, no idea what you're talking about.'' She said through gritted teeth. Honestly, how could they get Malos and Jin so right and not her? Were the posters designed by different people or something?

''Do you also think big bro Rex and Pyra are made for each other?'' Kazuna asked.

Nia clenched her fist and looked downwards. Did she really have to go there? She didn't need any reminders of the reality she had faced and was still facing. ''I…''

''Please don't overwhelm my lady with questions.'' Dromarch stepped in, aiming to do some damage control. ''I said that I would be willing to accept all questions. And please try to keep them biology-related.'' Otherwise they would be here all day, doing Q&A about everything that came to mind.

''Where do babies come from?'' Dromarch was far too shocked by the questions to even notice who had asked that and clearly, he wasn't the only one. Everyone went silent for a while, aside from the few birds that were chirping away, blissfully unaware at the very awkward question that had just been asked. Eventually though, this silence was broken by Nia's laugher.

''Well Dromarch, you said you would answer all questions. Go ahead.'' Nia kept on snickering as she said this. Her Blade had walked right into this one.

''But…my lady.'' Dromarch looked awkwardly between his Driver and the class that was very clearly waiting for some kind of answer. He couldn't just say he didn't know, that would cause them to ask Nia next. And if she went with the same excuse as him, the kids would surely ask Rex and Pyra and he didn't want something like that to fall onto them. He had to think of something. ''They're…delivered by Tirkin when the right time comes.'' Please focus on the Tirkin part of the sentence, not the latter.

''Tirkin?'' Oh thank the Architect! ''But aren't many Tirkins kind of evil? What if they have to deliver the baby? Won't it get hurt?'' One of the girls asked.

''Oh, only good Tirkin are chosen for something like this.'' Dromarch said hastily. He had to invent all of this stuff on the spot after all.

''We…we have eaten Tirkin meat for lunch sometimes.'' One of the boys spoke up. ''Does that mean…that some babies were left alone because we ate the Tirkin?'' Now the boy was nearly crying!

''No, no of course not! You probably just ate evil Tirkins.'' Dromarch glanced at Nia who was trying very hard not to burst into the loudest laughing fit of her life.

''How do you know the difference between a good and an evil Tirkin?'' Mark asked.

''That is, well…'' Dromarch racked his brain for something. He had been ready to teach the kids many things today, but a Tirkin's moral compass was definitely not one of them! ''Good ones can be seen with a baby and the evil ones can't.'' A true circular argument if there ever was one.

''But didn't you just say…''

''Alright, I think that's enough of that.'' Nia finally spoke up, having somehow managed to keep all the laughs inside her. ''How about this? You guys go and collect some plants from nearby and me and Dromarch identify them for you, how does that sound?'' Nia suggested, getting a sigh of relief from Dromarch. He wasn't sure how long he could've kept that up.

The kids looked at each other for a moment, as if silently discussing to themselves on whether or not this was good enough to drop the current subject. ''Okay!'' They said in unison and started searching around the nearby trees and the like for flowers and other things they could ask about.

''Thank you my lady.'' Dromarch said with a small bow of his head.

''Don't sweat it. It was fun to watch, but there are limits to that sort of thing.'' Nia said and she turned her attention to the kids searching every nook and cranny for something for their lesson. Nia looked a bit downward and put her hand on her chest. ''So, this is how Rex grew up…''

''My lady?'' Dromarch asked, sounding concerned again.

''It's just…how would things be like if Rex wasn't from here? We would've picked up some other idiotically optimistic salvager from Lefteria, we would've hauled up the ship, we would've found Pyra and…well, who knows how things would've went from there.'' Rex happened to be able to resonate with Pyra and while all you needed was aptitude to awaken a core crystal, she doubted just anyone could've awakened the legendary Aegis. ''The only thing that would've stayed the same…would've been the order to kill everyone.'' Nia shuddered as she thought about it. To think that she trusted Jin and Malos so much back then, especially Jin. And now the two of them were the biggest threat Alrest had ever faced.

''My lady. I don't think it's wise to dwell on the past so much. You have learned to overcome it, thanks to Rex and others.'' Dromarch said and Nia nodded.

''Yeah, you're right. It's all behind us. I intend to fully support my friends until the bitter end.'' All of them, even Zeke and Tora. ''And I'm going to be ready to support their relationship, as well.'' It was only a matter of time after all.

''Just remember you're never alone, not with me by your side my lady.'' Dromarch said, making Nia smile and lean against Dromarch's fur.

''I don't need you telling me that. Not when you have never left my side.''

…

Children of Fonsett Village had had an amazing day so far, but they knew the highlight was still coming. All of Rex's friends had been so wonderful and fun, but to them big bro Rex was still the best. Not only was he going to teach them, he was going to do it with Pyra, his one true love…as far as the children were concerned anyway. They could barely stay in their seats as Rex and Pyra walked up to the front of the class.

''Hey everyone, have you had a good day?'' Rex greeted them with a big smile on his face.

''The best!'' Was the unanimous answer.

''Great. Looks like me and Pyra have to keep up the pace then.'' Rex said.

Pyra stayed quiet. Looking at the kids, she saw that many of their eyes were darting between her and Rex, as if they were expecting them to do something to close the distance between them. She tried not to think too much about it, she didn't want to get any ideas.

''Well I would like to know at what level you are right now so…I'm going to write a few words on the board and you have five minutes to think of as many synonyms for them as you can.'' Rex then turned towards the board and started writing some words down. They were simple words like beautiful, love, help, happy and the like. Soon after, the children started writing down answers…except that Pyra noticed that one of the girls had been working on something on her paper way before Rex started putting the words down. Getting curious about this, Pyra walked closer, occasionally glancing at other papers to see that everyone was actually doing something, until she got to the girl.

''Oh Miss Pyra! I was just…'' The girl tried covering up the paper, but Pyra's warm smile made her realize it was fine for her to show it. She removed her hands and Pyra looked at the paper. On it, the girl had drawn two human-shaped figures. One of them had a red hair, other had brown, both had a green mark on their chest and the two were holding hands. Topping it all off were two hears above the figures. ''I…I tried drawing you and big bro Rex.'' The girl mumbled, clearly hoping that it could be at least a bit better.

''It's lovely.'' Pyra said, blushing just a little. Many of these kids were so innocent about their admiration, there was no need to get upset at them.

''Thank you.'' The girl smiled up at her. ''I'll focus on doing the work now.'' She said, though the glances at the drawing told Pyra that the girl fully intended to add more to the drawing later. Pyra walked back to the front of the class where Rex was looking over his notes.

''Are you nervous?'' Pyra asked, making Rex jump a bit…which pretty much meant yes, he was.

''Last time I didn't have to do that much, it was way easier than holding a class for 45 minutes. But, I'm sure we can do this together.'' He had to admit there were times when Pyra made him nervous, but right now he was too nervous about the class going well to get nervous about Pyra.

Couple minutes later Rex called for time and asked the kids for words. Or at least, that had been the plan. ''Big bro Rex, can I ask something first?'' Kazuna asked with a small smile on her face.

''Of course Kazuna, what is it?''

''Did you think of all those words when thinking about Miss Pyra?'' Kazuna's smile got noticeably bigger when she asked this and so did the red on Rex's face.

''W-What?! What makes you ask that?'' Rex said, now unable to look in Pyra's direction as that would just mean he would blush more.

''Well, you wrote words like beautiful, help, love and happy…aren't those something you think about when you look at her?'' Kazuna asked and now Rex definitely couldn't look at Pyra.

''W-Well…'' He definitely couldn't deny that certain words popped into his mind whenever he looked at her and beautiful was definitely one that was at the top. Heck, he had almost admitted he thought that way back on their first visit to Gormott…and yet he had been unable to say anything like that ever since. Maybe he should use this chance to try and…

''Actually, I came up with this task myself. Rex didn't think of any of these words.'' Pyra said, gracefully saving Rex from some embarrassment. Kazuna didn't seem too disappointed by this answer though and just kept on smiling. ''Thanks Mythra.''

''You should've been able to think of something like that yourself. These kids are getting to you.'' Mythra said. ''I won't like it, but if you really need me to come out and do this with Rex instead of you, I can.'' She added, though Pyra knew Mythra well enough that she wanted to do that more than she let on.

''It's fine, I can handle it.'' And she had faith that Rex would as well. At least his blush had gone down.

That was essentially how the entire class continued for Rex and Pyra. It was like walking on a minefield, except the mines were comments about their relationship. They were able to shake most of the comments off, you eventually get somewhat used to that sort of thing, but others struck home better and definitely caused things to get redder than Pyra's hair. But now they were finally on the home stretch, just a few more minutes left.

''And that's where the word salvage came from.' Rex finished and honestly he was surprised that none of the kids had commented on anything during the speech. It was almost like…they were waiting for something. ''Well, there's little time left. Is there anything in particular you'd want to know?'' Rex asked and for some reason, this caused all of the kids to start whispering and nodding amongst themselves.

''There is one thing.'' Mark said, once again nodding to the other kids.

''What is it?'' Pyra asked and that's when the kids all broke into smiles and started chanting.

''Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!'' With the way the kids were chanting it, it almost seemed practiced. Not that either Pyra nor Rex could focus on that since the implications of the word were much stronger.

''C-Cut it out you guys.'' Rex said, though his words definitely lacked some impact, almost like his heart wasn't into it, like he wanted the kids to get their wish.

''Kiss! Kiss! Kiss! Kiss!''

''Rex…I…I don't think they'll be satisfied until we do it.'' Pyra said, causing Rex to look at her shocked. ''I don't mean we actually should do it, but…try to fake it somehow?'' Pyra asked, racking her brain for something that could get them out of this without them actually kissing. Luckily the kids were busy chanting so if they kept their voices down, they weren't going to hear them.

''Well I don't want to end the class with the kids disappointed…'' Rex said and then he got it! ''What If we stand like this…'' Rex said as he walked to Pyra so that he was facing her and his back was against the class. ''And I'll cover your face with my head, then they'll think we're kissing.'' Since he highly doubted any of them would come and check things closer.

''Rex, there's just one little problem with that…you're shorter than me.'' Pyra pointed out, making the smile on Rex's face falter a bit.

''Oh…'' To be honest, he had long been aware that Pyra and Mythra were taller than him, but it had never bothered him and he hadn't expected that to ever really be a problem.

''But that just means we have to do this!'' Pyra said and grabbed Rex's shoulders, spun them around so their positions were reversed and put her face to as close as Rex's as she could without actually kissing him. But of course to the kids watching from behind, it definitely looked like they were kissing.

''YAY!'' The class erupted into cheers immediately. But those cheers went almost completely unheard by Pyra and Rex. All they could hear, was each other's breathing and the sound of their own heart beats. And both were worried that with how fast they were beating, the other would surely hear it.

''Pyra…'' Rex could hardly believe their faces were this close. Just an inch or so closer and their lips would surely meet and now that they were that close, Rex couldn't possibly look away from Pyra's lips or her face in general. Of course he wanted to kiss her, he wanted nothing more than to kiss her. In fact, thoughts about kissing her had been dancing in his head shortly after their first meeting and they became even more frequent when he realized he was in love with her. But they had yet to reach Elysium, meet the architect or save the world and all those things came first…at least, that's how Rex tried to rationalize it to himself. It wasn't the time for something like that, he couldn't be sure if she felt the same way and there was Mythra to think about in all this too. So no matter how tempting it was, Rex fought against the gnawing thought at the back of his mind. He didn't even want to risk it and try making the fake kiss look more real by putting his hands on Pyra.

''Rex…'' Pyra had acted almost entirely on instinct when she had grabbed Rex's shoulders and put them into this position, so now she could fully realize what kind of situation they were in. And just like Rex wanted to kiss her, she wanted to kiss him too. He had already managed to access all of her and Mythra's power, he had been so kind and caring towards her and she was sure he held the key to the future of this world, of course she loved him. But like Rex, she couldn't commit to this right now. She was still worried about what might happen when they meet Father, what he would say, what Malos would do…there were too many unknowns. Unknowns that could destroy any blossoming relationship. So she kept he face where it was and even Mythra seemed to respect that as she had stayed quiet during the whole thing.

The fake kiss may have only lasted a few seconds, but to Pyra and Rex it felt like an eternity…and eternity that still ended far too soon.

''Alright kids, time to…oh, am I interrupting something?'' Corrine asked in an amused tone and that instantly made both Rex and Pyra to realize that they should probably stop this pretend kiss before the kids start thinking they can't keep their lips off of each other.

''Aunt Corrine, this was just…'' Rex stopped there. It's not like he could say anything else with the kids still being there.

''I understand dear. Now then children, why don't you thank Rex for doing this for you and getting his friends to help as well?'' Corrine suggested and all the kids bowed in appreciation.

''Thank you big bro Rex!''

''You're making me blush…'' Though not as much as Pyra did. ''I'm glad you all enjoyed it.'' With that said, the kids all dispersed, more than satisfied with the day they had. ''Aunt Corrine, what happened was…''

''It's alright, I saw what happened.'' Corrine interjected, saving Rex the explanation. ''In any case, between the classes I asked the children what they thought were the most important lessons they learned from their classes today. The answers varied a bit, but there were clearly some favorites. From science class they learned that Poppi is the best blade ever. From history class they learned that the Mor Ardain's emperor was just like them. From physical education they learned that princes are weird and from biology class they learned that Tirkins are confusing creatures.''

''I…I see.'' Rex wasn't sure what to say to all that. ''What do you think they learned from this class?''

''Considering how it ended…they probably learned that Pyra should be the one to propose to you.'' Corrine laughed and Rex had thought that with the amount of blushing he had done today, his face would've been unable to do it anymore, clearly he was wrong. Pyra was blushing too, but she tried to take the comment with some stride.

''As long as the children were satisfied, I think it's okay in the end.'' Pyra said and Rex nodded.

''I agree. I'm just glad none of our friends were around to see that fake kiss. I don't think we would've heard the end of it.'' Zeke especially would've had a field day with it.

''Unless of course, I tell them about it.''

''Gramps!''

...

Holy Architect this turned out longer than I expected. Nearing 10 000 words… Hopefully no one minded that! I know sometimes reading a longer chapter can be daunting so…yeah. I highly doubt many of the future chapters will be as long as this one, but you'll never know.

Anyway, review if you liked, review if you didn't like and see you in the next chapter!


	3. Just One Drink

Third time's the charm! …I don't know what that's supposed to mean in this context. Hope you enjoy!

…

It was supposed to be a normal and leisurely trip to Argentum Trade Guild. Grab some accessories, chat up some fellow salvagers, maybe help out some people if they have the time…and Rex definitely wanted to try out some of the new Golden Cylinders they got. At least, that was the original plan.

''What the hell?'' Nia could tell something was off as they were approaching the guild. The first thing that tipped her off were all the sounds she was hearing. Her ears were pretty sensitive and she was picking up a lot of noises coming from there…weird noises. Definitely at least a few Nopon.

''The guild is definitely looking very lively.'' Morag said. She couldn't hear as well, but she could definitely see some strange lights and erratic movement in the guild, even from this distance. ''Rex, do you know anything?'' Morag figured that if there was someone who knew, it would be him.

''No. I have never seen Argentum like that.'' Rex said. ''I wonder what's going on.''

''Well we're going to dock soon so no use speculating about it until then.'' Zeke said and Rex nodded in agreement. A minute or two later their Titan ship had docked on to one of the hangars of the Argentum Trade Guild. ''Okay, let's see what's…'' Zeke was used to his bad luck by now, but he wasn't used to having to dodge things as soon as he stepped on a new titan. Clearly he should've as he ended up tripping over something as soon as he left the ship. ''Seriously…''

''I swear you do that on purpose sometimes Shellhead.'' Nia said with a smirk on her face as Pandoria walked up to check on her Driver. ''I mean who trips over a…Nopon?'' Nia just now noticed that Zeke had fallen over a regular-sized Nopon…who wasn't moving or budging at all. Their eyes were closed as well. ''Are you alright?'' Nia asked, though she supposed the better question would've been why you were lying on this very specific spot.

The Nopon didn't respond and Morag decided to take it upon herself to get a closer look. She kneeled down in front of the furry creature and noticed a strange smell coming out of it. Smell that was somewhat familiar. ''Looks like he's passed out because of too much drinking.'' Morag stood up straight again, her face a bit disgruntled from the smell she just took in.

''That's weird though, he doesn't look like a salvager.'' Rex said. He had no equipment on him at least.

''Rex, you do realize that not just salvagers drink, right?'' Mythra asked.

''Of course I know that! It's just, 9 out of 10 times if you come across a drunk person in Argentum, they're a salvager.'' Rex said, clearly speaking from experience.

''That much drinking…maybe it was a good thing that The Aegis showed up and caused you to change careers.'' Pandoria said and before that conversation could get any further…

''Rex.'' Rex turned around to face another Nopon, this one dressed in rather fancy clothes and accompanied with one of the human dancers that worked for the chairman.

''Niranira! What exactly is going on here?'' Rex asked and the Nopon seemed…somewhat disappointed.

''Rex not know what day it is?'' Niranira asked and instantly Rex panicked a little, thinking he had forgotten something important. But despite racking his brain, he couldn't think of an important day.

''…Eulotember 5th?'' He said, making Niranira sigh.

''It Niranira's birthday, so as acting chairman of the guild, Niranira hold big party to celebrate. Lot of fun, Rex and friends should join.'' Niranira said while the dancer girl attempted to nod enthusiastically, probably thinking she wasn't paid enough for this.

''That sound fun! Can we Rex-Rex?!'' Tora asked, wiggling his wing ears enthusiastically, which Poppi mimicked by waving her own arms around.

''Well…I don't see why not. What does everyone think?'' Rex asked from the less excitable members of the party.

''I suppose we aren't in a hurry so as long as no one gets carried away, this should be fine.'' Morag said with a neutral expression on her face. She doubted this could get much worse than when Ardainian forces celebrated.

''Zekenator is the life of any party. How could I refuse?'' Zeke said and Pandoria nodded along.

''Sure why not? Maybe a break will be a good thing.'' Nia said.

''Well it can't hurt.'' Mythra said and with that Niranira smiled.

''Very happy to hear. Very proud that Aegis and her Driver are attending my birthday party. Have fun!'' Niranira said and left with the dancer in tow. With that settled, Rex and the others walked inside the trade guild. And they had barely gotten few feet in when...*THUMP!*

''OW!'' Zeke yelled out and no wonder as a Nopon had fallen on top of him from one of the upper floors. They might be soft and fluffy, but they could still be heavy. Just like the one he tripped over, this one had clearly drank too much as well. ''What next, I bump into a stack of these guys?'' Zeke asked. He was used to his 'bad luck', but this was just pushing the limit.

''I'm just going to make a wild guess that most Nopon are light-weight when it comes to this sort of thing.'' Nia said, now on the lookout for any further falling Nopon.

''That true. Tora's dadapon and grampypon definitely like that. Tora too young though, so not sure about himself.'' Tora explained and everyone decided it would probably be for the best if they don't test Tora's tolerance. Worst case scenario, Tora would fall off to the Cloud Sea…and maybe get eaten by a monster. Even with Poppi around it would be better not to risk it.

The lowest floor of Argentum was mostly devoid of partying people as most of the festivities were taking place on the second and higher floors. All the stores were still open, though they weren't seeing much business right now and no amount of puppy eyes or sales that were barely sales were getting Rex and the others to buy anything they didn't already plan to buy.

''Now this is more like it.'' Zeke said once they reached the second floor where Rumbletum Canteen and Lemour Inn were located. Especially the canteen was busy with costumers enjoying food, drinks and different performances. Zeke walked up to the canteen's counter with Pandoria in tow. ''One bottle of…Tipsy-Wipsy.'' Zeke said with a small pause. Of course even an alcoholic drink would have a Nopon-like name here. Much to his surprise, Mythra walked up there as well.

''I'll have some of that as well.'' She said as she sat down on the bar stool next to the counter.

''Oh, I had no idea the mighty Aegis was a drinker as well.'' Zeke said with a grin, more than happy to find out more about her hidden sides.

''Only every now and then. I try not making it into a habit.'' Mythra said with a shrug of her shoulders.

''Just try not to get carried away.' Pyra said concerned.

''Oh please, we're the Aegis. What's the worst that could happen?'' Mythra asked, making Pyra sigh. Her sister could be so difficult to deal with at times.

Dromarch and Azurda looked upon the scene and the canteen and both came to the same conclusion on how the night was most likely to end. As such, they had to make precautions. ''Poppi?'' Azurda turned towards the Artificial Blade who looked a bit confused about what's going.

''What is it Gramps?'' Poppi asked and Azurda let that one slide, assuming Poppi thought that was his actual name.

''Me and Dromarch will reserve rooms for everyone. If any of our group haven't gotten to their room by the end of the night, could you carry them over there?'' Azurda asked, certain that Poppi had enough strength to carry even Zeke. Poppi blinked a few times and then smiled.

''Roger that.'' She saluted and so the small Titan and the best Blade went up to the Lemour Inn to reserve the rooms.

Meanwhile, Nia and Rex had sat down on one of the tables at the canteen. Luckily on that spot there was a solid roof over them so there was no need to fear Nopon falling from the higher floors on top of them. ''I had no idea even Argentum could be like this.'' Nia said. Usually Argentum was the place for business and trading, not for partying and drinking.

''Tell me about it. I haven't seen the place like this in all my years of salvaging.'' Rex said. Though maybe it was because he always went to sleep early and was a heavy sleeper anyway.

''Right, you started it at pretty young age, didn't you?'' Nia asked and Rex nodded.

''Yeah. I left Fonsett with Gramps when I was ten. It was pretty difficult starting out.'' Those days seemed so far away now, especially with Azurda being in his more compact size right now.

''Let me guess, you were real optimistic about your chances to make a lot of money fast for your village?'' Nia asked and the nervous grin and rubbing of the neck was all the answer Nia needed. ''Thought so. I guess you were just born an idiot.''

''Well it did work out in the end, didn't it?'' Rex said, taking Nia's comment with stride. Sure it had been difficult, but he always had Gramps with him.

''I guess so. Honestly, sometimes I wish we could take some of that optimism of yours and spread it across Alrest. Would definitely come in handy.'' Nia didn't think anyone could reach the level of optimist that Rex was, but even a little bit would help in this world.

''I'm sure once we reach Elysium, things will be much better.'' Rex said wistfully. People wouldn't have to fight over dying titans or resources anymore, it would be perfect. Nia smiled at the statement and Rex's expression. She could never hate that optimism. She was about to say something when…

''Just relax Pyra!'' Mythra's yelled out, which was heard by most of the people in the canteen. ''I know my own limits!'' She yelled some more. In front of her was both an empty and a full bottle of Tipsy-Wipsy.

''Mythra please, people are staring!'' Pyra said and the stares weren't just because Mythra was seemingly talking to herself.

''Let them stare! I'll just use Siren on them if they try anything funny!'' Mythra said as she opened up the second bottle. Pyra sighed yet again. There was no way Mythra was going to let her take over either. All she could do was watch and hope this would all end well.

''Well that happened fast.'' Nia said, not sure if she should be impressed, worried or scared. Maybe a bit of all three?

''I can't believe she's saying it's okay for people to stare, after what she said to me about it.'' Rex said, remembering that particular morning rather well for…multiple reasons. Two in particular. Nia however raised an eyebrow at this.

''When did that happen? I haven't heard her scold you for staring.''' Nia said, her tone getting notably both curious and a bit angry. Rex gulped at this. Nia had probably been sleeping through that entire thing and of course Mythra hadn't brought that up with her at all. He wasn't sure if it would be a good idea to tell her either. She had this look in her eyes that made Rex think it definitely wasn't a good idea.

''Chum!'' Luckily he didn't have to think about it for long as Zeke suddenly showed up next to him and put his left arm over his shoulder. In his right was a glass with some sort of liquid in it. ''You should try this stuff out, it's great!'' Which was evident from the fact that he had clearly already drank a lot of it. His cheeks were a bit flushed and movements unstable…well, more unstable than usual at least.

''Zeke, I'm not old enough to drink.'' Rex stated matter-of-factly, but Zeke brushed that off.

''C'mon! Age is just a number '' Zeke said, a very convincing argument, especially coming from a drunk person.

''You would know Shellhead. You're 25 and it means nothing as far as maturity is concerned.'' Nia said. Because honestly, what kind of adult names themselves bringer of chaos?

''You two can be so dull. Whatever. I'll just…hey, Morag and Brighid!'' And so he was off, though Rex and Nia could only imagine how a discussion between those three would turn out in this setting.

''Looks like he left his drink here.'' Rex said, looking at the glass that was now sitting on the table. The glass was rather large, the liquid in it was pinkish in color, it was filled up all the way to the top and it gave off a somewhat pleasant scent.

''Rex, you didn't answer my question.'' Nia said, now with her arms crossed over her chest. ''Has something happened between you and Mythra?'' She asked, narrowing her eyes and once again Rex felt scared, like Nia was going to pounce on him if he said the wrong thing here. But what could he say? It was such an awkward topic and he wasn't sure how Nia would respond to it and…

Rex's eyes went back to the glass in front of him. Maybe if he drank it and it was good enough, he could try changing the subject and make Nia forget about this! Yes, that could definitely work! With that in mind, Rex grabbed the glass with his right hand. ''Rex?'' Nia asked, her eyes getting less narrow as she was clearly confused. But before she could say anything else, Rex downed the entire drink!

,,,

Rex groaned as he came to. His eyes flickered open for a bit and he immediately closed them when the brightness of the room hit him. The first thing he felt was a headache. Not a very painful one or anything, but still something worth complaining about. The second thing he felt was a strange feeling on his right arm, like it was being held down by some sort of weight. Rex slowly opened up his eyes, trying to get used to the light in the room and he realized that he was in one of the rooms in the inn, though he couldn't begin guessing which one. And the weight on his right arm was…

''N-Nia?'' Nia had both of her hands clutching his arm while her head was very close to rubbing against his shoulder. She had a rather big smile on her face too, but she was definitely still sleeping. And more importantly, she was fully clothed and so was he for that matter. ''Good.'' He definitely remembered the drink he had, but nothing else beyond that. If that one drink had caused something irreversible to happen…Rex didn't even want to imagine it. The bed they were on was rather large, but besides that, he couldn't see anything too odd from his vantage point.

Rex didn't want to wake Nia up so he awkwardly moved his arm to get it from Nia's clutches. As Rex moved it, he winced a bit from the pain of moving it, as it had become quite stiff. Looking closer, he could also see red marks where Nia's fingers used to be. Just how long and hard had she clutched onto his arm? Luckily her grip had since loosened so he could actually get his arm away. As soon as he did, Nia stirred a bit, but that's all she did. Rex sighed from relief. He didn't want to imagine how she'd react if she had woken up before him. Maybe not was violently as Mythra had that one time, but probably not much better either. He didn't want to risk anything by sticking around for too long, so he moved to the other side of the bed and stepped off…

*SQUISH!*

Rex immediately backpedaled, so much that he almost backed right into Nia and her hands. He sat there for a moment, hearing and feeling his frantic heartbeat. Once his heart had settled down, he slowly moved back towards the left edge of the bed and saw…''P-Pyra.'' She too was sleeping and fully clothed…well, as fully clothed as her normal wear was anyway. She was on her back and what he had just stepped on were…Rex gulped audibly at the realization. Looking at the size of the bed, it's likely that Pyra was sleeping on it and then fell off at some point during the night…and that's as far as he allowed his thought process to go regarding him and Pyra sleeping on the same bed. He looked at her sleeping form for a few seconds, making sure that she wasn't uncomfortable lying like that and then stepped off the bed, being very careful to avoid...certain body parts. He would've loved to wake her up so she wouldn't be lying on the floor like that, but he didn't want to make things too awkward. He walked quietly over the door, opened it up and then closed it afterwards. He sighed from relief as soon as he was out of there. That could've ended really badly.

Rex walked over to the Rumbletum Canteen and as soon as he arrived…''Rex!'' Poppi ran up to him, looking rather concerned.

''Poppi! Are you okay?'' He assumed she hadn't drank anything and even if she somehow had, it probably wouldn't affect her.

''Never mind that. Is Rex okay? Did Nia or Mythra hurt Rex?'' Poppi asked and now Rex was even more confused about last night than before.

''Why would they hurt me?'' Okay so maybe Mythra had slapped him one time and thrown stuff at him the other and maybe Nia could be a bit violent and crude…but still!

''Rex not remember?'' Poppi asked while tilting her head to left and Rex shook his head. ''That strange. Masterpon usually the forgetful one.''

''Where is Tora anyway?'' Rex looked around. To be honest, he couldn't see Zeke, Morag or anyone else around either, but Tora was more relevant to the discussion right now.

''Masterpon still sleeping. Masterpon very lazy like that.'' Poppi looked over at one of the inn doors so Rex assumed Tora was there. Well, at least he was okay.

''So why did you ask if Nia and Mythra hurt me?'' If nothing else, he wasn't in pain now, though his arm was still kind of stiff. He'd have to be careful not to move it around too much.

''Well Nia and Mythra were acting strange. Nia talk a lot about wanting to taste Rex.'' Rex's eyes widened at that. She said something like that? ''Poppi even saw Nia nibble at Rex's ear!'' Poppi spread her arms for emphasis, though it was a needless gesture as Poppi could've whispered what she said and Rex would've been just as shocked.

''What?!'' Rex put his right hand on his right ear and after he checked that one, he put his left hand on his left ear. They didn't feel wet or anything, but if it happened a few hours ago, he supposed they wouldn't be wet anymore. And if she had left any marks he couldn't see them without a mirror. ''Are you sure?'' He just couldn't imagine her doing something like that.

''Poppi very sure. Nia clung to Rex almost whole evening. Poppi even help Rex and Nia get into the room.'' Poppi said, sounding rather proud of that.

''Oh, you did?'' Rex asked, trying to get the connotations of a scene like that out of his head.

''Yes! Many weird people slept on floor at that point and others making weird sounds. Poppi not want Rex or Nia to sleep on floor so Poppi help them. Was also asked by Gramps and Dromarch to help.'' Poppi smiled as she moved her arms left and right, clearly pleased with the job she did.

''Okay then, what about Mythra?'' No matter what, he couldn't imagine her clinging onto him.

''Mythra seem upset. Very loud and kept glaring at Nia. When Poppi escort Rex and Nia to the room, Mythra follow and mumble something under her breath. Something about Rex cheating on her.'' Poppi explained. ''Poppi not quite sure what Mythra mean by that. Does Rex know?''

''N-Nope, not at all!'' Rex laughed nervously. So, apparently Nia had been clinging onto him the entire night and Mythra had gotten jealous about that? It was hard to believe, but Poppi wouldn't lie about something like this…in fact he wasn't even sure if she was capable of lying. Well, not like it meant anything even if Nia and Mythra did that. They clearly weren't in the right state of mind. Still, he was definitely glad that nothing beyond that had happened. He had to assume that Mythra had passed out upon entering the room and she had switched with Pyra during the night. And Nia had probably fallen asleep soon after too…and hopefully not nibble his ear too much if she really did do that.

''Morning y'all'' Rex and Poppi turned towards the sound of the voice to see Pandoria walking towards them…though she wasn't looking quite normal.

''Pandoria, why are you wearing Zeke's jacket?'' Rex asked. The jacket was obviously way too big for her and so she was practically dragging it along as it awkwardly hung from her shoulders.

''Oh that. I'm not too sure myself. Just woke up with it on me already.'' She certainly didn't mind it and she was sure that Zeke didn't either. ''Anyway, I hope you weren't kept awake.'' Pandoria said, confusing Rex yet again.

''Why do you say that?'' He had definitely slept like a baby last night.

''Because of the noises from our room.'' Noises? From their room? Wait… ''My prince kept me awake for quite long. He can be rather loud and he's a big guy too so…you know, he makes a lot of noise when he does it.'' Was she implying what Rex thought she was implying? ''Honestly he should think about Turters. He's still young, it's not good for him to be exposed to that all night.'' Rex turned a bit red. She…she had to be talking about that. ''I know I should get used to it, it has happened so often, but it's hard sometimes. He moves around a lot during it too. Sometimes he even says the weirdest things and it's kind of embarrassing…'' Pandoria blushed a little as she said that. Rex wasn't sure what to say to all of that, while Poppi looked on curiously. ''So yeah, I'm sorry if you heard his snoring.''

''Wait, snoring?!'' Rex asked shocked, surprising Pandoria a bit.

''Yeah of course. My prince tends to snore and talk in his sleep. Wait…what did you think I was talking about?'' Pandoria grinned a bit, implying that she knew what he was thinking about.

''N-Nothing, nothing at all!'' Rex said, now he was the one blushing.

''Ooh, who knew you could have such naughty thoughts. Wait until I tell Pyra.'' Pandoria laughed, though she was also trying not to show that she was thinking about her and Zeke doing what Rex thought they were doing.

''Please don't.'' Rex said nervously. Telling Pyra something like that was bad enough, but telling her was the same as telling Mythra who definitely would let him hear it.

''Don't worry about it. We all have our little secrets after all.'' Well, except maybe for Poppi. ''Anyway…''

''Pandy!'' There was no mistaking that voice, especially for the one it was addressed to.

''My prince, did you…' Pandoria's sentence was cut short when she saw Zeke. Her face turned incredibly red, her glasses fogged up a bit and she tried desperately to avert her eyes, but they just couldn't help stealing a few glances.

''Zeke! Why are you walking around in nothing but boxers?'' Rex asked, covering Poppi's eyes so the innocent blade wouldn't have to see such a sight. Indeed, the only thing Zeke had on him was a pair of white boxers with a picture of a turtle peeking out of its shell at the front.

''Funny you ask that chum. I seem to have lost my pants sometimes during last evening.'' Zeke laughed a bit, not seeming too bothered by it. ''And Pandy here had taken my jacket.'' Zeke turned to his Blade who was now trying to use the said jacket to avoid looking at her nearly naked Driver. Luckily it provided a lot of cover.

''S-Sorry my prince. I…I woke up with it and felt kind of cold in the morning…so…you know…'' Oh Architect this was way too awkward for her. Despite having traveled together for so long she had barely ever seen Zeke in such a state of undress. She couldn't let her eyes wander, she just couldn't! …But it was so tempting!

''It's alright. I think I'm going to go find my pants now.'' Zeke only got about one step forward before he was stopped by Rex.

''No way. You'll get thrown to the Cloud Sea if you'll walk around like that!'' Rex said, confusing Zeke a little.

''Is that another one of your Salvager Codes?'' Which strangely enough seemed to have very little to do with actual salvaging.

''I think It's called public decency my prince. I…I can go look for them.'' Pandoria said, already having completely turned around and ready to go and ready to not be temped to stare at Zeke.

''Thanks Pandy!'' Zeke said and so Pandoria was off. Hopefully some greedy Nopon hadn't found Zeke's pants and sold them off. In Argentum, that was a very real possibility…actually it was a very real possibility anywhere with greedy Nopon. ''Anyway, I'm sorry chum. It was my fault for leaving that drink there.'' He certainly hadn't been the responsible adult of the group last night!

''Don't worry, it was my fault for deciding to drink it. I'm just glad I didn't do anything stupid to Pyra, Mythra or Nia.'' At least, he wanted to believe that he didn't do anything to them.

''Must be difficult, having three girls in love with you.'' Zeke said with a grin while Rex started blushing very heavily.

''L-Love?! They…they aren't in love with me!'' Rex denied, his tone notably nervous and he glanced towards the room he came from to make sure that none of the three would walk out and hear that. Zeke just laughed at the reaction.

''If you say so chum. Just be careful with them.'' Zeke said and he started to go back to the inn room he came from. Pandoria and Rex were right, he probably shouldn't walk around like this.

''I will?'' Rex said, though it sounded more like a question than a response. It was ridiculous anyway. Just having one of them be in love with him would already be more than he could handle, there was no way all three of them were. It was impossible. Zeke was just messing with him, like always.

''But seriously, I didn't expect you to be such a light-weight. One drink, seriously? Looks like at least half of those rules in Salvager's Code are moot to you now.'' Zeke said over his shoulder as he continued his way.

''I…I'm sure I'll get better at it.' Rex said, not sounding at all confident. Then again, it's not like he was very eager to test his limit again anytime soon. Zeke waved him off and returned to the room he came from.

''Would Rex please move hand?'' Poppi said suddenly and Rex realized he was still keeping his hand on Poppi's face to protect her innocent eyes from the sight of almost naked Zekenator.

''Right. Sorry.'' He did just that.

''Poppi will go wake up Masterpon now. Should not sleep too late, will affect battle performance.'' Poppi said and then she marched off, leaving Rex alone yet again…for a few seconds.

''Excuse me, you're Rex correct?'' Rex turned around to see Utoto, the owner of the Lemour Inn.

''Yes. Can I help you?''

''Friends of Rex book rooms, but they not have money at the time. They told Utoto that Rex would pay the following morning. Utoto trust them, but now Utoto wants his money.'' He said, holding a hand out so Rex could put his money there.

''Fine.'' Rex said with a sigh. Of course Gramps and Dromarch wouldn't carry money around. So Rex reached for his wallet and…he reached for his wallet and…''Where is it?'' He reached his pockets and everywhere on his person, but he couldn't find his wallet at all! Did…did someone steal it from him last night? He looked back at the Nopon who was getting increasingly more impatient. Yep, this was definitely a lesson for him. Don't try to drink anything ever again.

,,,

Pyra groaned a bit as she came to, mostly because her back was aching. A few seconds later she realized why that was, she had been sleeping on the floor and even for the mighty Aegis that wasn't the greatest idea in the world. She raised herself up a little bit, so now she was sitting down on the floor next to the foot of the bed. ''Mythra?'' Pyra asked, wanting to make sure she was okay.

''…Don't talk to me right now. I have a terrible headache.'' Mythra said, clearly not intending to say anything else.

''Okay.'' Pyra knew better than to tell her she told her to not get carried away. She rose up from the floor and then immediately saw who was sleeping on the bed. ''Nia?''

''Mmm…'' Nia muttered in her sleep, but slowly her eyes started to open up as well. Extremely slowly as she really, really didn't seem to like how bright things got when she opened her eyes even a little. Pyra was patient though and waited for her friend to be fully conscious. ''P-Pyra?'' Nia asked when she finally got her eyes open. She wasn't the person she was expecting to see first this morning.

''Good morning.'' Pyra said. At the very least, she hoped it was a good one for her. She didn't look like she was suffering from too bad of a headache. ''Do you remember anything from last night?''

''Not much. Just…'' Nia stopped her sentence there when she saw something on the bed next to her. ''Rex…'' It was Rex's helmet. It was obviously empty as Azurda was elsewhere, but it being here cued them both in on something. ''So…looks like all three of us slept together.'' Nia tried very hard not to blush at the implications of it all.

''S-Seems that way.'' Pyra on the other hand wasn't faring that well on her fight against blushing. ''I'm glad nothing happened.'' She was at least relatively certain that Rex had his clothes on when he woke up, if the two of them did. And if he didn't…well no need to continue that thought any further!

''Of course. You'd want to be conscious for something like that.'' Nia said and before Pyra could ask her about that more… ''I'm just glad I didn't expose my secret to him.'' Nia put her hand on her chest. It wouldn't take much to expose the core crystal in there. A core crystal of a reddish and bluish color.

''Nia…'' Pyra thought back to the hot springs when she had revealed her secret to them. ''Rex is a wonderful and kind boy. I'm sure he'd understand and…''

''You think I don't know that?!'' Nia yelled and then put her right hand on her head. Well that started a headache. ''Of course I know that. It's the reason I…'' No, she wasn't going to reveal that to Pyra and Mythra. She didn't want to start anything. It would be better off for all of this to remain as it is. For everything to stay one-sided. ''I'm just not ready, that's all.'' She was too afraid, too afraid of things going back to the way they were. Before Rex, before Jin.

Pyra stayed quiet. It would be so easy for her to say to not keep that all in…but she would be a massive hypocrite if she did. She's keeping even more things from Rex and being even more scared of what will happen if she tells him. The real reason she and Mythra want to reach Elysium. She honestly had no right to admonish Nia for this. ''I understand.'' She eventually said.

''Thank you.'' Nia said, looking away from her. ''It's probably for the best if we don't bring this whole sleeping thing up with Rex. Better just to try and make it seem like we don't know anything.'' It was better for her at least. ''By the way, Pyra. Mythra was the one who was all wasted yeah? Wouldn't that mean you remember the last night better?'' She remembered Rex having that drink and then him somehow managing to convince her to have one…and that's about where it ends.

''Well I had my hands full making sure Mythra didn't do anything…rash.'' Like accidentally calling on Siren to destroy something...or everything. ''So I wasn't paying much attention to anyone or anything else. Sorry.'' Pyra bit her lip. She didn't like lying, but she wasn't sure if it was good to bring up that she saw how Nia clung to Rex last night. She remembered how upset at that she got. She felt bad about it of course, they were all friends, but seeing them together like that had made it feel like someone was clutching on her heart and not letting go. She didn't want to feel like that ever again.

''Okay.'' Nia said, not pushing the subject further. ''We should probably get going and give a certain idiot his helmet back.'' Nia grabbed the helmet from the bed and walked out. Pyra sighed and looked down at her chest.

''…Why does it feel like someone stepped on these?''

,,,

''…Brighid, I'm only going to make myself clear once. If anyone asks, both of us woke up perfectly normal, in perfectly normal positions, with perfectly normal clothes and perfectly normal separate beds.''

''Yes, Lady Morag.''

''Good. Now, could you add burning Zeke von Genbu to crisp to my daily schedule?''

''Already did.''

…

And there you have it! Now before anyone asks, I am familiar with a story called D.U.I. over at Archive of our Own, which is an entire story with multiple chapters about this premise. I got familiar with it when it was just some posts on Gamefaqs, but I haven't read much of it Just thought I'd mention this since people familiar with that story might bring up comparisons.

Besides that, review if you liked, review if you didn't like and I'll see you with the next chapter!


	4. Happy Awakening!

Fourth chapter! I really wish I could get these out a bit faster, but school has kept me busy. Hope you enjoy!

….

The group was currently in Mor Ardain, more precisely the Hardhaigh Palace. They had come to the slowly dying Titan for equipment, food and supplies, but since they were already there, they figured they might as well visit the emperor as well. Morag insisted that it wasn't necessary and that they didn't need to do it for her sake, but all that fell to deaf ears.

''I'm glad that you're doing well my sister.'' Niall said, the two of them were alone in the throne room right now. ''How are Aegaeon and Brighid?'' He asked out of curiosity.

''Brighid is doing fine like always. Aegaeon still finds it awkward and upsetting that he can't remember anything about you, but he's managing.'' Morag said, her tone noticeably softer when talking alone with her younger brother/cousin. ''I'm sure both of them are honored that you worry about them.''

''Oh, there's really no need for that.'' Niall said, never one to make a big deal about his position of power, unless it was absolutely necessary. ''How about the Aegis and the boy?'' He asked and Morag was a bit taken aback that he would inquire about them as well. Nevertheless, she was prepared to answer.

''If I may be frank, sometimes watching them is like watching a romantic play.'' Morag said, getting a small laugh from the emperor. ''They're both doing fine. Their relationship has improved greatly ever since Rex managed to unlock Aegis's true power.'' That green-haired form, who knew what she and Rex could accomplish with all that power? She was truly glad it was in the right hands.

''I see. I'm glad you have such wonderful company with you.'' Niall said with a smile and Morag smiled back. ''I trust you to keep protecting and helping them.''

''I will Niall.'' Morag said. Though she had no intention of helping with any romance troubles. That was something the two of them should figure out themselves. ''If I may, I'll take my leave now.'' Morag said. They might be related, but that didn't mean Morag wasn't going to show proper respect at times that needed them.

''Of course. Take care.'' Niall nodded, and Morag left the throne room, taking the elevator down to the lower floor. She looked at the Hardhaigh Dock Level 2 and all the titan ships on them and sighed. Mor Ardain didn't have much life or time left. Once the time came, would they have enough ships to evacuate everyone? Of course the evacuation preparations would start in good time, but even then… Depending on the weather and time of year it could take many days to reach another Titan and there were only so many ships and so much room. In the worst-case scenario, would they be forced to leave people behind with hopes that they could send another ship in time? Or…

''Morag!'' Morag snapped out of her thoughts by Rex's voice and she realized that she was still standing on the elevator, long after it had reached the floor. Morag looked at the young boy, still trying to get used to seeing him in these new clothes after being so used to him being in the salvager outfit for so long.

''My apologizes. I was just lost in thought.'' Morag said. Maybe it was for the best that Rex showed up. That train of thought wouldn't have lead anywhere good or positive.

''If you say so…'' Rex looked a bit worried, but it was pretty clear that he too had something on his mind. ''There's something I'd like to ask you Morag.''

''That's a surprise. You don't usually come to me for advice.'' Morag said, sounding slightly amused while Rex looked a bit sheepish.

''Maybe I should make it a habit.'' After all, she was the most responsible person in their group. ''Anyway, I wanted to ask…if you know the day Addam awakened Mythra?'' Morag found herself taken aback by a question a second time in a short period of time. She wasn't sure if she liked this trend.

''That's sudden. Why do you ask?'' Morag had a few guesses in mind, but she wanted to hear from the boy himself.

''I was thinking…we humans have birthdays. But do Blades have anything like that? A day they could celebrate since they wee awakened that day?'' Rex asked, and Morag cracked a small smile at the question, which Rex noticed. ''What's that for?''

''I mean no offense. That is certainly something you would think about.'' Morag said and Rex crossed his arms, still intent on hearing an answer to the question. ''No such day or tradition exists, at least formally. There are so many Blades that don't even stay with their Drivers for half a year, much less a full one.'' Morag said, looking a bit down. She had seen many hopefuls get into the army with a new Blade in tow…only to get in over their head. Times were more peaceful now, but monsters were still running about. ''Even if a Driver and Blade do end up staying together longer, some people simply don't keep track because they don't care enough or they have other things to worry about.'' And in Alrest, everyone had something to worry about.

''Are there exceptions then? Like you and Brighid?'' Rex asked.

''We acknowledge the day, but that's as far as it goes and there's a simple reason for that. Unlike many other Blades, Brighid remembers her other awakenings, thanks to her journal. Each awakening day has been written on it, so naturally if we were to celebrate the day of her current awakening, we would have to celebrate the other ones as well. After all, those days have an equal importance, even if they can't be remembered. But since there's so many of them, it's just easier to simply the acknowledge the day and move on.'' Morag explained and then she saw that Rex was the one looking down now. ''Were you disappointed by the answer?''

''It's not that. I just didn't expect such an answer. You had really thought of it before huh?'' Rex grinned a little, clearly pleased that he wasn't the only one who had thought of this.

''I'm sure few others have as well, but like I said, it's not done officially. But to answer your original question, it's believed Addam awakened The Aegis on Architite 12th. So unfortunately, if you're planning on celebrating, you're a few months too late.'' Morag said and the smile on Rex's face faltered almost immediately.

''Oh…I guess it was too much to hope it would be this week.'' That would've been an amazing coincidence.

''The date isn't certain, but it's very likely around that time. You might want to check with Azurda if you want to be sure. To be honest, I'm surprised you didn't just talk to him at first.'' Not that Morag particularly minded or anything, she rarely talked to Rex alone and she appreciated the opportunity.

''I thought about that, but I wanted to check the Driver aspect with you. Anyway, thanks! I'll go ask Gramps!'' Rex said and he ran off to one of the elevators that would lead to lower floors of the palace.

''Lady Morag.'' Morag didn't get to enjoy being alone for long as Brighid walked up to her as soon as Rex had left her field of vision. ''I hope you don't mind that I listened on your conversation.''

''Not at all. It was hardly a private discussion.'' Morag said, turning around to face her Blade. ''Though I am curious, what did you think of Rex's question?''

''Like you Lady Morag, I wasn't surprised that he asked that. Rex is very caring to a fault. And I think something like this will help their relationship to improve even more.''

''Do you think their relationship will advance to that level?'' Morag asked. There was no need to ask what she meant by that. Everyone could see it.

''Oh not yet. I don't think either of them are brave enough to take that step yet.'' But hopefully they would, one day.

,,,

''Yes, Morag is correct. Addam awakened Mythra on Architite 12th.'' Azurad said, unfortunately crushing the very tiny hope that the boy had that Morag could be wrong.

''So not even thinking about this sooner would've helped, huh?'' Rex groused. That was before he even met Pyra and Mythra.

''You don't need to lose all hope my boy. After all, that was the day when just Mythra was awakened.'' Azurda said, getting Rex's gaze from the floor back to him. ''I'm talking about when Mythra created Pyra. That day was Eulotember 20th…which is tomorrow.'' Rex's eyes widened at this and he was smiling again.

''Are you serious Gramps?'' Rex asked, making Azurda chuckle a bit.

''I wouldn't kid about something like this Rex. It's obvious this is very important to you.'' Rex wasn't one to really hide his emotions, even if he thought he was when it came to certain things…and certain Aegis.

''This is great! I…I need to do something for her! Like get her a present.'' Rex exclaimed. Now that he knew that this was a a possibility, his mind was racing. ''What should I get her?'' Rex looked at the small Titan in case he had any ideas of his own.

''A ring for her finger perhaps?'' Azurda suggested with a grin, turning Red's face beet red.

''H-Hey! I'm not going to do something like that!'' Rex said flustered. So flustered in fact that he almost added the word yet to the end of that sentence.

''You're right, I don't think you could afford a ring like that right now anyway.'' Azurda said and Rex didn't even feel like arguing that that wasn't what me meant. ''Honestly you know Pyra pretty well at this point. I'm sure you don't need my help in getting a gift for her.''

''Well she really likes Jenerossi Tea., but she drinks that pretty often, so I don't think it would be special enough. She also loves reading, so maybe I could get a book for her…but would that be special either?'' Rex muttered as he ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. Pyra was so important to him, he couldn't just give her any plain old thing! After everything they had went through she deserved something amazing.

''Why don't you walk around and see if you can find something? Alba Cavanich has many shops in it after all. I'm sure there's something for Pyra there. Better than having nothing to go off of.'' Azurda suggested and Rex stopped his frantic hair brushing for a second to nod.

''I should try that. Thanks Gramps!'' Rex said and he ran off and as soon as he was out of sight, Azurda sighed.

''Honestly, all he would have to do is say three simple words. …Well, maybe calling them simple is understating it.''

,,,

Rex had never felt more uneasy when shopping. Usually he knew exactly what he wanted or had a pretty good idea at least, whether it was equipment, food or past-time items. But right now, he was going through Ayvill Shopping District and he had no idea what he should do or buy. He looked at everything there was on the display, tried to imagine himself giving it to Pyra…and it just not working out. There was nothing in here that…screamed Pyra, for the lack of a better description.

''Argh, this is harder than I thought.'' And he only had until tomorrow to do this! Why couldn't he get this idea earlier? He walked by Haskefell Books store and decided to check it out and see if there were any books there that Pyra might be interested in. Unfortunately, most of them were about Mor Ardain's history and economics and he highly doubted that Pyra would be interested in something like that. However, one book stood out from the rest and so Rex picked it up. ''Love Beyond the Clouds.'' The cover was very simple, clouds at the top with light shining from beyond them. Rex flipped the book over and read the summary on the back. ''One day while out hunting, a boy finds a wounded and fallen angel in the forest. After discovering that her wings are broken beyond mortal repair, the boy promises to take her back to heaven, no matter what. But reaching a divine realm like that is impossible for a mere human so to help her, the boy agrees to the ultimate sacrifice…'' Rex read it over once more and he couldn't shake the very, very familiar feeling. ''It's almost like me and Pyra.'' Pyra wasn't an angel of course, at least not a literal one and he wasn't a hunter, but other than that, it sounded almost like a summary of their adventure! ''Ultimate sacrifice…'' What had he sacrificed for her? He died, but that wasn't for her and in fact she's the one keeping him alive even now. More than anything, he realized that he had to give her something special to properly thank her and…

''Hey chum!''

''GAH!'' Rex jumped a little and the book ended up slipping from his hands and falling to the ground. ''Zeke, don't just sneak up on me like that.'' Rex said as he picked up the book…and then noticed that the shopkeeper was glaring at him, clearly not very pleased at how the book had gotten dirty from the fall. Rex sighed and paid for the book, figuring that was the best way to get out of this situation. And immediately the shopkeeper was all smiles again!

''You have an interesting definition of sneaking. I just walked up to you like a normal person.''

''Well there's the problem. You're hardly a normal person.'' Rex retorted, to which Zeke reacted to by dramatically placing his hand over the piece of Pandoria's core crystal on his chest.

''Ouch, that's harsh. Are you trying to compensate for Pandy's absence?''

''Now that you mention it, where is she?'' Rex asked. It was pretty unusual to see the duo separated. The two were almost always attached to the hip.

''She's taking a dip at the hot springs. She has never had a chance to before, so she was really eager to do it.'' Zeke said. ''Anyway, I can't say I expected you to be out shopping for books.'' Zeke briefly glanced over the titles they had and like Rex, he didn't really find any of them that compelling.

''It's not for me. I'm trying to find a gift for Pyra. Tomorrow's the day Mythra created her.'' He wasn't sure if he should call it birthday or what, but the name of the day was hardly the most important aspect. ''I was looking at this book, but I'm not sure what Pyra would think of it…and now it has gotten dirty, so that doesn't help matters.'' Rex said, trying to wipe some of the dust off it, but a rather stubborn amount still stayed on it, not to mention small amount of sand that had gotten between some of the pages.

''Love Beyond the Clouds? You trying to tell her something with that title?'' Zeke grinned and Rex would've blushed if he hadn't thought of the similarities between this book and him and Pyra already.

''Like I said, I was just looking at it. I just…can't decide what to get her.'' What if she had read this book already? It's not like he could ask her without making her suspicious. She was smart, she would almost certainly pick up on even the tiniest hint.

''If you can't think of a gift, why not just do something special for her? ...Like get her a reservation at the hot springs and then jump in yourself to surprise her?'' Zeke suggested and this time Rex definitely couldn't keep the red out of his face. Luckily he succeeded in keeping the red at manageable levels by thinking of something else. Namely what would actually happen if he did that.

''D-Do you want Mythra to kill me or something?'' It didn't matter that him dying would mean they would be gone too. He was absolutely sure Mythra would not hesitate to do something like that if he did something that stupid. He wouldn't even get a word out before Siren would blast him.

''Here I thought you two had gotten closer.'' Zeke said, chuckling a bit.

''Yes, but not close enough that we'd be fine with each other naked.'' Not that he didn't want to see her naked…nope, bad thought bad thought! Think of something else!

''I was just joking anyway. I wouldn't expect you to do something that bold with them…yet. Maybe in few years.'' Zeke said, and Rex wasn't sure if he was ready to think that far ahead to the future with them. ''But honestly, if you really feel like you can't find anything special here, why don't you try salvaging something? Maybe you'll find a necklace for her…or a ring.''

''Hate to burst your bubble, but Gramps already made that joke.'' Honestly, he wasn't going to propose to her, they weren't even dating! ''But that is a good point. There's a lot of great salvaging points here in Mor Ardain. And it's low tide so that makes it easier.'' He had plenty of cylinders to use as well, so he could afford to mess up a few times…speaking of which. ''Zeke, could you ask Nia to meet up with me at the Fief of Forgetfulness?''

''Sure thing chum.'' Zeke said with a raise of his hand and Rex ran off to prepare for the salvaging. Zeke grinned as he watched him. ''The boy is growing up. It will be interesting to see where this goes. Now then, after I tell Nia, maybe I should surprise Pandy at the hot springs…''

,,,

Rex was standing at the Fief of Forgetfulness, feeling really thankful that the crab monsters around weren't hostile. He probably should've just came here with Nia, but he had gotten so excited by the idea that he couldn't help coming here first to scout the area. The ledge on the left definitely seemed like a good jumping point for hopefully some good treasure. Even if he doesn't find anything for Pyra, he should at least find something to sell to get money and then use that money to get something for Pyra! Though treasure would be preferable!

''Rex!'' Rex turned around to see Nia running towards him. He raised his hand and smiled to greet her and she stopped short of a few steps of him.

''Glad you could make it Nia.'' He was really going to need her help here.

''Of course, but why did you want to meet up here of all places…and alone?'' Nia asked. If it wasn't for her confession back at Spirit Crucible Elphys, this would be about the time she would be desperately forcing her hopes down.

''I was going to do some salvaging and I wanted you on standby for both attacking and healing in case I pull up a monster.'' Rex said, but that didn't do much to help with Nia's confusion.

''Sure I can do that, but why alone?'' …Stop getting ideas! You already confessed!

''Zeke didn't tell you? I'm trying to salvage a gift for Pyra. Tomorrow is the day that Mythra created her I want it to be surprise so that's why I asked only you to help.'' Rex explained and for a brief moment Nia's ears drooped down. It was so brief however, that Rex didn't notice it.

''So it's for Pyra.'' Of course, of course it was. ''Fine, I'll help you out.'' Nia said, transforming into her Blade form with the Catalyst Scimitar. Rex nodded and turned around, preparing to jump down and start his salvaging. Nia looked at him from behind…and sighed.

''I need to get used to this.'' She muttered to herself. This was the first time she was alone with Rex since her confession and honestly, nothing had changed that much, at least with Rex himself. He was acting exactly the same with her as he always had. Still smiling and laughing. She on the other hand, was glad that she no longer had to bottle everything inside. She no longer had to think about what ifs. She had said everything she wanted to. She could finally…truly relax with Rex.

''Time for some treasure hunting!'' Rex happily announced, and he started hopping over to the edge, before jumping off completely.

''He's such a dork.'' Nia smiled to herself. She knew she had to wait a while, so she had all the time in the world to do some more thinking. ''He doesn't even realize that Pyra is going to love whatever he gives her simply because it's coming from him.'' She highly doubted that Pyra was expecting Rex to give her anything or that he even was aware of the day. That surprise alone was probably enough for her.

Ten minutes passed until Rex emerged from the cliffside, with a chest in tow as well. Unfortunately, that wasn't the only thing he brought back with him. A Tolen Krabble had been hanging off tightly to the bottom of the chest and it certainly didn't appreciate being brought all the way up to the surface and then unceremoniously dropped onto the hard ground. ''Nia!'' Rex yelled and she nodded.

''You got it!'' Nia threw the Catalyst Scimitar to him and held out her arms, so she could supply power to Rex. It didn't take them that long to deal with the monster. The Krabble was rather small and its bubble attacks were barely doing anything, which basically meant there was very little reason to heal either. A couple slashes of the Scimitar was all that was needed to take care of that one, no artes needed. ''Well hopefully the treasure is more impressive than the monster.'' Nia said, glancing at the red treasure chest.

''Only one way to find out.'' Rex said and opened up the treasure chest, but unfortunately there wasn't much inside there. ''Just some Flash Daggers and Tricky Discs.'' Who named these things anyway? ''Well it's not like I expected to succeed on the first try.'' Once Rex said that, Nia gave him a bewildered look.

''The number one optimist in Alrest didn't think he would succeed on the first try?'' Nia teased, granting her a playful glare from Rex.

''It's not that I didn't think I would find anything on my first try. I just doubted I would find the perfect gift for Pyra on the first try.'' Rex said, making Nia sigh. She walked up to Rex and both her hands on his shoulders. ''Nia?''

''Well then…get back in there and find something for her!'' Nia turned Rex around and pushed him towards the edge. The salvager boy got the hint and did the necessary steps to dive back down. ''Maybe a few more attempts before I try telling him that he doesn't have to stress over this so much.'' Nia mused and looked up the sky. It was a sunny day out, with barely any clouds in the sky, the exact opposite of how it was down below. ''Honestly I have no idea how he does it.'' Nia's gaze went down to the Cloud Sea and she shivered from the mere thought of jumping in there like Rex did. The safest gear and all the money in Alrest couldn't get her to go down there.

Ten minutes passed yet again before Rex showed up from beneath the clouds, this time with a gold and white chest with him. ''If I knew I would be spending this much time waiting I would've brought Dromarch along.''

''Waiting just makes the treasure seem even better when you get it. That's…'' Rex's sentence was interrupted when Nia suddenly threw the Scimitar to him and he hastily managed to catch it. All of the sudden he felt something very dangerous nearby. ''…There's a monster behind me isn't there?''

''A Rekon Aligo.'' Nia said bluntly, as if a sudden appearance of a large shark monster with legs wasn't a terrifying concept. She then held out her arms yet again as Rex turned around to face the ferocious beast. ''Let's do it like last time and we'll be fine.'' The monster was definitely stronger than the crab, but it was nothing compared to some of the enemies they had fought against!

''Got it!'' Rex said and then dodged out of the way as the Aligo tried to get a bite out of him. He had to be careful as despite their size, Aligos were surprisingly agile and they had a rather large tail they could swing around. ''Hydro Blast!'' All he had to do was stay calm and let Nia power him up as he attacked. ''Saber Slash!'' And once he had done enough of that. ''Go for it Nia!'' Rex yelled as he threw the scimitar over to her and she caught it expertly. The monster roared and prepared for an attack, but it was too late.

''You got it! Last Hope!'' Nia slashed at the large monster multiple times, not only inflicting damage with the weapon, but also draining it of its lifeforce. At the same time, Rex felt himself get stronger. Once Nia was done with her attack, she threw the weapon back to Rex and he caught it.

''Hydro Blast!'' The monster had no time to recover from the previous attack so with this one, Rex was able to hit the large monster with enough force to knock it off the edge and back down into the Cloud Sea. ''That takes care of that.'' Rex said and then immediately turned his attention back to treasure chest. He opened it up…and immediately looked a bit crestfallen. ''Nothing but money here.'' Rex said, but after getting over his initial disappointment, he couldn't help cracking a smile. ''Before I met Pyra, this probably would've been the best possible find for me.''

''Oh yeah, you really got excited about that 200 000 G reward. So excited that you didn't even ask anything about the job.'' Nia teased, remembering that moment well.

''But I ended up meeting Pyra because of that…and you.'' Rex said with a smile and it was such a genuine smile that Nia couldn't help smiling back…and even blushing a little.

''You don't need to get that sentimental on me. Besides, you died on that mission.'' Nia still remembered how she felt back when she saw Jin stab Rex. It was the first time in a long time…that she had thought of using her powers. She didn't know Rex well back then, but that one conversation she had with him in the Maelstrom had been enough to convince her that he was a person worth caring about…and that feeling only got stronger by the day.

''It all worked out in the end though! Heck, maybe we should celebrate that day too. It is technically Pyra's reawakening.'' Nia just rolled her eyes at this.

''One anniversary at a time Rex. Now c'mon, we're still missing a gift.'' Nia said and Rex nodded and prepared for the third dive of the day. Few seconds later and he had jumped off yet again. ''Though…I wouldn't mind celebrating that day.'' She'd rather celebrate that than her own most recent awakening, even if it was going to be the last one she ever experienced. Once her life as a Flesh Eater would come to an end, that would be it. She couldn't be reawakened ever again. ''Well I suppose…becoming Rex's Blade was the true reawakening I always needed.''

This time, 15 minutes had passed, and Rex still hadn't come out of the Cloud Sea, making Nia a bit worried. She knew salvaging could take variable amounts of time, but since the first two times took ten minutes, she would've thought this one would too. Another five minutes passed, and Nia got even more worried. She walked over to the edge of the cliff and looked down at the endless white. ''C'mon Rex don't scare me like this.'' He has done this forever, he should be fine…so why wasn't he getting back up yet? After that, every passing minute felt like an eternity as Nia tried her best to keep herself calm until finally another five minutes had passed. ''Rex!'' Nia yelled when she finally saw him emerge from the Cloud Sea, but then she saw something else. ''Oh no.'' Blood was dripping out of his arm! He was just barely holding onto the small chest he had and once he got to the ground, he collapsed forward immediately. ''Rex!'' Nia yelled again as she got next to him and started healing the wound. It was really nasty looking bite wound, going from his elbow to his armpit. ''What happened?''

''I…I tried to look for a treasure chest when I saw this one…near a sleeping Sharion Lexos. I grabbed it, but then the monster woke up and before I could get away, it managed to bite into me. Luckily it got distracted by some other monsters…'' Rex winced and took deep breaths as he tried to not to think about the pain on his right arm too much.

''Okay it's fine, you don't have to talk.'' Nia said and so the next few moments were spent in complete silence as Nia applied her healing artes on Rex. Once she was all done, there was no more blood though one could still see a wound mark on the arm. ''Honestly Rex, you need to learn to be less reckless. Trying to take a chest right in front of a sleeping monster…'' Nia didn't even want to think how badly things could've ended up.

''Sorry. I just…really want to make it special for Pyra.'' Rex said and Nia wasn't surprised at all to hear that.

''This chest better be worth it then.'' She said as she walked over to it to open it up. She didn't want Rex to make any sudden movements immediately. Once she opened it…''Wow.'' Inside was a small and very shiny silver pearl, giving off brilliant light.

''A Silvery Pearl Gem.'' Rex said, already breaking into a huge smile. ''She's going to love it, I'm sure! Thanks for helping me Nia!'' Rex turned his attention back to her and she awkwardly looked away, knowing she'll start blushing if she looks at that smiling face too much.

''No problem. Heck, maybe I should try getting her a gift too.'' It wouldn't be as great as this one, but Pyra deserved it. ''You really go above and beyond for her. Even getting injured like that.''

''Not just her. I would do it for any of my friends.''

''Friends…'' Nia muttered. There was no way Rex thought of Pyra as just a friend. That much was obvious. ''I suppose I'm the same.'' She'd do anything to keep Rex and Pyra safe.

''I'll be heading back now. Are you coming?'' Rex said, finally standing up again as his wound no longer ached.

''You go ahead. I'll be right there.'' Nia said. Rex nodded, and Nia stared after him as he left. Once he was gone, she put her hands over her chest and sighed. ''I'm still getting a bit jealous…I need to learn to fully move on.''

,,,

Rex made his way slowly across the Alba Cavanich. He didn't want to move too fast as that would make the pouch jostle about and possibly damage the Silvery Pearl Gem. After going through all that trouble to get it, he wasn't going to let it be ruined by something like that.

''Rex-Rex!'' And that almost made him jump! First Zeke and now Tora, he really had to become better with his spatial awareness. Tora was accompanied by Poppi of course. ''Rex-Rex look like he in high spirits.'' Tora said and Poppi nodded along, noticing the same.

''Well, I found a gift for Pyra. Tomorrow is the day Mythra created her. But don't tell her I got her a present. I want to surprise her!'' Rex said. It's not that he was worried about them telling Pyra, it's just that Tora had a tendency to not think everything through before he says it…and Poppi wasn't one to mince words either.

''Ooh, that sound great! Rex-Rex such a great friend!'' Tora said happily, even more sure that Rex was the right person to look up to. However, Poppi was a bit confused.

''Why is celebration of one's birth important?'' Poppi asked, surprising both Tora and Rex. Neither of them were quite sure what to tell her at first.

''Well…I think some people would say that they're celebrating because they survived another year.'' With Titans dying, Rex couldn't exactly blame people for thinking like that. ''But I prefer thinking of it as a day to celebrate the gift of life you have been given and it's a mark that you have gotten to enjoy life for another year. Plus, there's never a bad time to celebrate with your family and close friends.'' Rex smiled as he thought about days back in Fonsett. They didn't have an awful lot to go around, but Corrine made sure that each kid felt special on their birthday.

''Poppi understand. Rex very wise, much wiser than Masterpon.'' Poppi said, but before Tora could even retort to that…''What usually is done to celebrate birthday?''

''Cake! Birthday best day to eat cake!'' Tora interjected, even doing a bit of twirling around in excitement.

''Once again, Masterpon only think of food.''

''But cake is important! Rex-Rex must have a cake in mind for Pyra, correct?'' Tora asked, catching Rex off-guard.

''Oh…I actually hadn't thought that far.'' After all, cake was one of those things they didn't always get on birthdays in Fonsett. Tora on the other hand, thought this was a revelation worthy of a loud gasp.

''Rex-Rex must fix that! Cake essential for birthdays. If Pyra not get cake, Pyra will be very upset with Rex-Rex! Will probably refuse to help out in battle!'' Tora waved his arms around as if to make the situation even more dramatic.

''I…I don't think she'll do that.'' Especially since he had never made Pyra mad…though he had made Mythra mad more than a few times so that kind of makes up for it. ''Still I should make a cake for her. I'll do that first thing tomorrow, so the cake will be fresh and ready for her. But for now, I'd like to rest from the salvaging.'' Rex said and started to walk off towards the palace again.

''Did Masterpon only mention cake so Masterpon can eat it himself?'' Poppi asked and the fact that Tora started sweating a little immediately already answered the question.

''O-Of course not! Tora just feel very strongly about cake, that all!'' Tora said, but the look on Poppi's eyes said that she didn't exactly believe that. But she let it slide.

''Poppi very much looking forward to first birthday. Will Masterpon make big celebration?'' Poppi asked, getting excited already despite the fact that that day was more than half a year away.

''Of course! We'll celebrate with lots of tasty sausage!''

''Masterpon is showing his one-track mind again.''

,,,

The next day, Rex found himself having woken up at 5:00 AM already. He was in one of the many guest rooms Niall had granted them permission to use, but since it was still mostly dark out, Rex couldn't exactly admire the room's décor. He stayed lying down in the bed for a while until he realized that he wasn't going to get back to sleep. He got up from his bed and glanced over at his pouch where the Silvery Pearl Gem was. It was still too early to go and surprise Pyra with it, but there was something else he could do. He could go and make that cake now, so it would be ready for later! He left his room and quietly and slowly walked across the hallway. He didn't know which room Pyra was in, but that didn't really matter as he preferred not to wake anyone up. After a couple of minutes of wandering around in dimly lit hallways, he found the kitchen.

''Let's see here…'' There were a few cookbooks laid out in a small shelf. There was one for traditional Ardainian dishes, one for salty food, one for snacks, one for royal feasts…and one for desserts! Rex grabbed the last one and looked over at the glossary to see where cakes were. He opened up a relevant page and looked over his options. ''I probably shouldn't try making anything too complicated.'' He had never baked before, so he really didn't want to mess up too badly. ''This seems simple enough.'' Pound cake. All he needed was flour, eggs, sugar and butter and any well-stocked kitchen should have all of that. Even Mor Ardain one, which was running out of certain resources.

''First the ingredients…'' Rex looked around and saw flour…at the top shelf where he couldn't reach it. ''Why is it up there?'' He would've thought that with Niall being a young boy, they would make sure that everything was at a location where he could reach it. Then again, the emperor probably never had to actually cook. Whatever the case, he had to pull up a chair just to reach it. He got on top of one and…found out that he still needed to be on his tippy toes to even reach it! After few seconds of reassuring himself that he could still have a growth spurt in the very near future, he reached out for the flour box, almost getting it out of the shelf...

''Rex?''

''P-Pyra?!'' Rex completely lost his balance in shock. He tried to grab onto something with his hands, but only managed to nudge the flour box off-balance as well. So as soon as he fell off the chair, the flour box fell down right onto him, covering him in the white substance.

''Rex! Are you okay?'' Pyra asked worried as she got closer…and then she realized that the back of her head was aching a bit. ''I guess not if I'm feeling that.''

''It's fine, it wasn't that bad of a fall.'' Rex said nervously. It was hardly the fall he was worried about in this situation. ''Why are you up so early?'' Rex asked, hoping to distract Pyra at least a little bit so he could come up with a plausible excuse for why he was doing what he was doing in the kitchen. However, he was surprised when Pyra looked hesitant for a moment.

''I…I couldn't sleep.'' Pyra said, avoiding eye contact with her Driver. ''Why are you up? Why were you trying to get that flour box anyway?'' Pyra asked immediately after to change the subject, much like Rex had done just a few seconds ago.

''Umm I was…'' But unlike Pyra, Rex wasn't as ready with an excuse.

''Were you trying to bake something?'' Pyra asked a follow up question and Rex noticed that Pyra was looking over at the cookbook that was still open on the counter on the page about the Pound Cake. ''Why didn't you ask me for help? I wouldn't have minded.''

Rex took the time to think. He wasn't that good at lying, especially not to Pyra. Even if he was, he couldn't think of anything good on the spot. He…he was going to tell her. It should be okay, it was already the 20th after all. ''I didn't tell you because…I wanted this cake to be a surprise for you.'' Rex said, getting a gasp out of Pyra.

''F-For me?''

''I was wondering if Blades have their own birthdays and if that's celebrated. Gramps told me that today is the day that Mythra created you, so I wanted to celebrate that and surprise you with something. I wanted to bake you this cake and I even got you a present, though it's back in my room. I can go get it and…'' Rex stopped his explanation immediately when he heard sniffing. ''Pyra?'' She was…crying?! It wasn't much, but even a few tears were pretty concerning, especially in this situation! ''I'm sorry, I…'' Rex wasn't sure what he should say or why he was even apologizing, but he had to do something!

Pyra looked like she wanted to say something but couldn't either think of the words or just didn't get them out. Before Rex could do anything else, Pyra closed the distance between them, wrapping her arms around his back and pulling him into a hug!

Rex inhaled sharply at this and came to a sudden realization. He and Pyra had never actually hugged before! She was taller than him, but she had decided to rest her head on his shoulder, so they were at the same level. Her chest was pressing against his, though he tried not to think about it too much. At first, Rex had no idea where he should put his hands so for a few seconds they just hanged uselessly next to his sides. Eventually he decided to return the hug and put his arms around her. Her outfit exposes her back, so it should be okay for his fingers to touch skin…right? With some hesitation, he let his hands land little above the small of Pyra's back. Pyra didn't say anything, just continued her soft sobbing so Rex relaxed a bit.

The two of them stayed like that for a while and Rex couldn't help noticing just how warm she was. She was a Fire Blade, it made sense, but even then, she was warmer than he had expected. And her skin felt so soft as well. Rex couldn't help thinking how comfortable it was to hug her. Not to mention how her hair felt between his fingers and…wait, hair? Pyra's hair wasn't long enough to reach her back. But someone else's was…

''AGH!'' Mythra yelled in shock and pushed Rex away. ''Don't just switch like that!'' Mythra said, blushing rather heavily and so was Rex for that matter.

''S-Sorry, I got too overwhelmed.'' Pyra apologized, but she had no intention of coming out right now.

''Is…Is Pyra okay? I didn't hurt her did I?'' Rex asked concerned. After everything that happened between Tantal and Cliffs of Morytha, he really didn't want to hurt either of them ever again. Mythra looked over to him and shook her head.

''You didn't do anything wrong. It's just…Pyra mentioned that she couldn't sleep right?'' Mythra said and Rex nodded, not really sure where she was going with this. ''She was well aware of what day was coming, so the two of us ended up talking about it the whole night. Talk about how both of us came to exist.'' Rex stayed quiet, figuring that it would be for the best to save any questions for after Mythra was done. ''We already told you that we wanted to die, for our Father to kill us. We wanted that for so long, the idea of celebrating our creation didn't even cross our minds. If anything, we were more likely to curse our birth.'' Mythra noticed a frown forming on Rex's face and his fist clenching, so she decided to ease him up a bit. ''But, we don't think that anymore. After 500 years, you miraculously managed to change our minds. Pyra wasn't upset or insulted…she was overjoyed that you would want to celebrate this and even wanted to bake her cake and get her a present. Neither of us expected you to do that. We didn't even know you knew about the day.''

''Like I said, I asked Gramps about it. I wanted to thank you for…everything and this seemed like the perfect opportunity for it. After everything that has happened, I wanted to make sure to always treat you right and not hurt or hold you back anymore. The two of you only deserve the best.'' Rex said and neither Pyra nor Mythra could help blushing a little at that statement.

''And you think you're the best now?'' Mythra luckily managed to come up with that comeback at least.

''Not yet, but…maybe one day. This was going to be a step towards that.'' Rex said with a smile, making Mythra smile as well. ''I'm glad you switched with Pyra now. I wanted to thank you specifically.'' This caused Mythra's smile to be replaced with a look of confusion.

''Thank me? For what?''

''For creating her in the first place. Although, I still can't even wrap my head around how you actually did it.'' Rex had to assume that it had something to do with being an Aegis…though he could only hope that Malos couldn't do the same.

''You really don't need to. I constructed Pyra to be a scapegoat, to be someone who would deal with my problems and responsibilities when I was too scared to do so myself. I had nothing, but selfish reasons to create her.'' Mythra looked away so that her hair was covering part of her face so that Rex couldn't see it.

''Mythra…'' Pyra whispered to herself.

''I don't think you only did it for selfish reasons.'' Rex said, getting Mythra to look at him again. ''I understand your fear now and I know you were afraid, but I can tell. Despite what you felt back then, you never intended for Pyra to be just a scapegoat. You care too much about her for that to be true. It's clear to me that she's just as important to you as she is to me…and you're equally important to me as well.''

''Rex…'' Mythra could hardly believe what she was hearing. She…She…''J-just don't get a swollen head over all this!'' Mythra said with a huff and suddenly she was gone and Pyra was back. Pyra sighed at the reaction and Rex wasn't quite sure what to say at first.

''Are you really okay?'' Rex asked, still seeing some trace signs of tears on Pyra's eyes. Pyra nodded and smiled.

''Yes, I'm sorry that I worried you like that. I…I just couldn't believe you would actually do something like that.'' In hindsight, maybe she should've. Rex had gone above and beyond her expectations so many times before after all.

''Of course I would! You're the most important person in my life.'' Rex blushed when he said that, wondering if he had gone too far.

''…Thank you Rex. I would give you another hug, but…you're still covered in flour.'' Pyra pointed out and only then did Rex remember that fact. He blushed even more when he realized that, wondering if Mythra had even taken him seriously with all this flour all over him. ''So, why don't you go clean up and when you come back, we can make a cake together…a really big one that everyone can eat.''

''That sounds awesome! I'll be right back!'' Rex said as he stood up and ran over to the door, flour dropping every step of the way. ''And don't forget, I still have to give you the gift.'' Rex said from the doorway and with that he was gone. Pyra smiled some more and clasped her hands over her chest.

''You really don't have to…you have already given me everything I could possibly want.''

''Well that was cheesy.'' Mythra said, but that wasn't enough to break Pyra's smile.

''When are you going to tell him that he has vastly surpassed Addam already?'' Pyra asked suddenly and she could practically see Mythra's eyes widen and mouth moving slightly, trying to come up with words.

''He…He doesn't need me telling that! He should figure it out himself!'' Mythra yelled, making Pyra laugh. ''It's not funny!''

''You should really try to be more honest with your feelings Mythra. Maybe you should do something nice for him…on his birthday?'' Pyra suggested.

''I should've known you were going to bring that up. I guess we can ask Azurda when that is.'' And if not him, then try to somehow get in touch with Corrine and ask her…even if that would come with an extra helping of teasing.

''Let's do that…but maybe tomorrow. Let's let this day be about us.''

''No Pyra…this day should be about you. Happy birthday sister.''

…

How do these always end up longer than I expect? Honestly the first chapter of this fanfic is starting to seem almost too short in comparison…and to think my original plan was for every party Blade to talk about their awakening. Though coincidentally, today is Pyra and Mythra's English voice actress's (Skye Bennett's) birthday.

Anyway, to tease the next chapter a bit…it's going be a bit different. It's going to be noticeable darker than these previous ones and well…it has to do with a certain event that happens towards the end of the game. Look forward to it!

But until then, review if you liked, review if you didn't like!


	5. Fears Inside Them

Here comes the fifth chapter and like I said last time, this one will be noticeably darker and it will take place in chapter 10, before you meet the Architect. You can probably already tell what this will entail. Hope you enjoy! Oh right, and sorry for the longer wait than usual.

…

Tora had been so eager to finally meet the Architect of the world, to see the amazing person who made Nopons and the other great races. He was so happy, he even did a little celebratory twirl. But once he twirled back around, he noticed that he was completely alone. ''Poppi?! Rex-Rex?!'' Tora yelled, but there was no answer. ''Tora doesn't like this at all…'' His friends weren't the type of people to just leave a Nopon hanging like this. He had to find them! ''POPPI?! REX-REX?!'' He yelled again much louder as he ran frantically forward to the deep and seemingly never-ending darkness. It probably wasn't the safest option, but neither was just standing still. With how small his feet were, he wasn't making much progress, which made the darkness last even longer for the small Nopon. Eventually some light started to break out, but the vision that greeted him wasn't much more colorful. But at least it was a location Tora recognized.

''Temperantia? How did Tora end up here?'' He looked behind him, but there was no indication or remains of the hallway he came through. There were just grey cliffs, stones and rocks everywhere. Strangely enough there were almost no monsters around, but Tora could hear distinct sounds of fighting in the distance. Thinking there was no other place to check, he followed the sounds and soon they started to become clearer. One was definitely a very large sword and another was whip-like! Tora knew exactly who were fighting! Soon he saw Morag and Zeke fighting side-by-side against a Gefillon Behemoth, with Brighid and Pandoria offering support. The horned monster was large and powerful, but Zeke and Morag didn't seem to have much trouble against it. Despite that, Tora wanted to help out! ''No worry friends, Tora is here!'' He yelled out as he puffed out his chest a bit, but the two fighters didn't even turn to look at him.

''Oh…it's you…'' Morag said, sounding as uninterested as a person possibly could.

''We don't need your help here furball.'' Zeke said, at least sounding slightly more interested, but not any kinder.

''But that big monster. Surely Tora can offer assistance?'' Tora asked, choosing not to focus on the tone of their voices for now. Maybe friends were having bad day or their stomachs were rumbly?

''The only way you're helping is by staying out of the way or maybe acting as monster bait.'' Morag hit the monster with both of her weapons engulfed in flames, they were almost done.

''That's right. Not like you can do anything useful without Poppi doing all the work.'' Zeke said, summoning a thunderbolt from the sky to weaken the monster even further.

Tora looked down at the ground and was quiet for a moment. ''That not…''

''Oh it's the truth. And it's about time someone said it. You're useless!'' Morag's voice finally had some emotion in it, but it wasn't the kind of emotion Tora wanted to hear.

''Everything we have done, it all could've been done without you. There's not a single role you can fill in battle that one of us couldn't fill better. We don't need you.'' Zeke said, finishing off the monster with a flashy attack like always. ''Let's move Morag.'' Zeke said as he started to walk away. Morag nodded and followed him, with Pandoria and Brighid following in from behind. Tora wasn't sure if he should be happy or sad that they hadn't said anything at all in this situation, especially Brighid. All he knew was that he couldn't leave this here!

''Wait up! Zeke! Morag!'' Tora yelled as he started to run after them. They were walking, it should've been easy for him to catch up to them, even with his short legs. Yet the distance between them kept on growing and growing, no matter how much he ran. He simply couldn't catch up. But he refused to give up! He closed his eyes and focused only on running, sure that he would eventually be able to catch up to them and ask why they were acting like this. But Instead, what he felt was the rugged and rocky terrain of Temperantia change into something much more comfortable. He opened his eyes and saw that he was in Leftherian Archipelago now, close to Fonsett Village. ''Tora not like this at all…'' There had to be an explanation for this, but he was alone and scared, he wanted to find his friends, his real friends, not think about how and why this was happening. Luckily, he didn't have to look for friends for long.

''Rex-Rex!'' There he was in the distance, talking to some of the children. They were all laughing and smiling, already making Tora feel more at ease. It almost made him forget that Zeke and Morag had just said. But before Tora could get closer, Rex was already walking away. ''Rex-Rex!'' He yelled again, but it's like he didn't even hear him. He didn't turn around or anything. Instead Rex walked over to one of the cliffs, put on his helmet and jumped off to salvage something. Tora walked over to the spot, figuring that all he had to do was wait for Rex to come back eventually so he could talk to him. Except that he wasn't coming back up. ''Rex-Rex?'' Tora asked as he walked over to the cliff…only to hear Rex's laugher from the village. He was somehow over there again! ''This place too confusing for Tora.'' But he wasn't going to give up on talking to Rex. He was about to call out his name again when…

''When are you going to stop bothering him?'' Nia was suddenly there, blocking his view of Rex. ''Rex is busy you know.'' She looked over her shoulder, almost longingly at Rex, but Tora didn't focus on that.

''Rex-Rex never too busy to help out friend!'' Tora said, sure that Nia knew that as well. Nia just rolled her eyes at this.

'True, he's never too busy for friends…but he is for tagalong fanboys.'' She said, shocking and slightly angering Tora.

''Tora not some fanboy! Tora and Rex-Rex good friends and one day Tora will be a strong driver like Rex and…'' Tora's sentence was cut off short when Nia suddenly grabbed his wing ears and held him up from them. ''H-Hey!'' Tora yelled and struggled, but he was unable to escape from Nia's grasp, which was getting stronger by the second. ''Nia, this not funny…'' Tora gulped when he saw her eyes, they were almost feral.

''Don't you dare compare yourself to Rex. You will never be the kind of person he is. No, you won't ever be even the half the person he is!'' Tora whimpered, both from the words and from Nia's small claws slowly digging into his skin. ''He's the kindest, most amazing and most optimistic person I know. A perverted and useless Nopon like you could never reach his level!'' Despite Nia shouting all this, Rex in the distance didn't seem to notice. In fact, no one was even looking at them.

''Rex-Rex…doesn't think that…'' Tora said. ''Rex-Rex has never said that Tora is useless or unnecessary!'' Tora shouted, only for Nia's claws to dig deeper into him, almost drawing blood.

''Exactly, because he's that kind and wonderful. But someone needs to wake you up to reality so get this through your furry head, might as well be me. You will never be like Rex, you can't even come close and it would be better for everyone if you left him alone!'' Nia threw Tora away and over the cliff to the cloud sea. But instead of getting surrounded by white, Tora found himself surrounded by darkness yet again as he kept falling for far longer. Yet when he hit the ground, he barely even felt it.

''Where is Tora now?'' He looked around and recognized the location as the Abandoned Factory in Mor Ardain, where they had fought Bana. Where Bana had been manufacturing all those Artificial Blades for Torna.

''Tora.'' Normally Tora wouldn't have been that surprised at hearing his own name, especially when it was said by a voice that he recognized. But it was because of that voice that he was surprised. He turned around and saw Poppi standing there, looking pretty expressionless.

''Poppi, shouldn't you refer to Masterpon properly?'' He admitted that it probably wasn't the right thing to ask at the moment, but he wanted some degree of normalcy in this situation. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't going to get that…

''Poppi realize that Tora not worthy of such title. After all, Poppi much better off by herself.'' She said and Tora froze yet again. He looked down, moving his ears so that they would cover his eyes.

''Not Poppi too. Tora…Tora not just deadweight.'' He wanted to yell that, to really get his feelings out there and fight against all of this, but he couldn't find the energy in himself, not after what Zeke, Morag and Nia had all said. ''Tora important to team and Poppi.'' It was so difficult to get his voice above a simple mutter.

''Tora wrong. Poppi capable of fighting by herself. Why would Poppi ever need Tora for anything?'' Tora didn't want to hear this. It wasn't right hearing all of that in Poppi's voice! It was wrong and twisted! ''And if Poppi have no need for Tora, if a Blade has no need for its Driver, then rest of friends not have any need for Tora either. Very simple logic.''

''No, Poppi!'' Tora put his ears on Poppi's shoulders and looked her up in the eyes through his own tear-filled ones. ''Poppi not supposed to be like this! Poppi created out of love and passion, Poppi the proof of Nopon and modern genius, Poppi the nicest and cutest of all Blades! Tora, grampypon and dadapon worked hard to create Poppi, Tora know that Poppi not like this.'' He pressed his face against Poppi's chest, the tears falling against Poppi's metallic parts. ''Poppi Tora's best friend, better friend than Rex-Rex. Please Poppi!'' He hoped that even in this twisted reality, his words could reach his Blade. Their bond should be strong enough for that! But…

''Poppi have no need for such sentiment. Diver is unnecessary when Blade power and potential much, much higher. Just better to leave Tora behind completely.'' Poppi said, pushing his driver away with practically no trouble at all. She pushed him so hard that he ended up falling on his back. And before Tora could argue any further or even get up, Poppi activated her jet boosters and flew off deeper into the factory.

''Poppi!'' Tora yelled, taking a couple seconds to get up and then he heard and saw a large explosion. Coming from the direction that Poppi had just flown in. ''POPPI!'' He ran towards the rising flames and smokes, but like with Rex earlier, he couldn't reach, no matter how much he ran forward, he just couldn't catch up. The flames weren't coming any closer. ''No, Tora not want things to be like this! Tora know things aren't like this! Right friends? Tora…Tora…

Tora want to be useful.

,,,

Morag took a deep breath. Soon, she would meet the creator of this world. Despite what they had just seen of Elysium, she was sure that the man himself was here. What he was like or even what he looked like, she couldn't even fathom a guess. She took another deep breath as she closed her eyes for a second, but once she opened them, she found herself all alone. ''Brighid? Rex?'' She looked behind her and up the stairs from where they came from, but no one else was around. Immediately Morag was on guard with her hand ready to draw out her weapon, this wasn't normal at all. Morag waited around for a bit, but after seeing and hearing nothing, she figured her best chance to find out answers was to head forward into the darkness. She kept herself calm, panicking wouldn't help anyone, least of all herself.

The darkness finally broke away, but it didn't reveal a particularly pleasant sight. She was in Gormott, but she could hardly recognize it. Not only was there lot less green to go around, many of the buildings had Mor Ardain's symbol on them and there were more weapons and army equipment around as well. It was like Mor Ardain had militarized the titan. She was standing in the middle of Torigoth Market, but she really didn't care or want to see more of this. It didn't look or seem right. So she turned around and…

''Morag admiring Mor Ardain's handiwork?'' Tora was standing at the gate to the town. Normally Morag would've been glad to see a familiar face, especially after getting separated from everyone in such bizarre manner, but something seemed...off.

''I was just surprised. I…'' Morag was cut off by Tora scoffing very loudly.

''Surprised? Tora was too. Tora never thought that Morag kind of person to betray friends.'' Morag blinked in surprise, she hadn't expected the Nopon to say something like that.

''What are you talking about?'' Morag asked, and this caused Tora to scoff again and his eyes lowered, he was definitely getting angrier.

''How dare Morag even ask that?! Morag actually forgotten?! Morag do nothing when Ardainian army walk in here and make whole place a military base! Tora was ran out of home!'' He started hopping up and down and while normally a sight like that would've been funny, the pure anger in Tora's eyes made Morag take this a little bit more seriously than usual.

''Oh I…'' To be honest, she wasn't sure what to say, she had no idea what had really happened or what was going on, which was a feeling she wasn't that accustomed to. ''I'm sorry.'' That seemed to be the best thing to say at this time. She was wrong.

''Sorry?! Sorry not cutting it! The army took Poppi away for examination!'' Morag had noticed that the Artificial Blade wasn't around, but for that reason? ''They want to use her to make more Artificial Blades! Poppi not supposed to be a weapon for war! Poppi is Nopon masterpiece, made with love and for helping the world! Why did Morag allow it?! Why?'' Tora asked as he started to walk closer.

''I…I can't just go against the emperor and my country's wishes…''

''That not the point! Tora understand that people must make difficult decisions! Tora know it tough! But Morag not even try! Morag just let friend get taken away and another friend to lose home. That not okay! Or what? Do friends mean nothing in the face of Ardainian honor? Would Morag let friends suffer if it meant Mor Ardain would thrive?!'' Morag found herself unexpectedly stumped by the question. Both her country and her friends were important to her, to choose one over the another would be…''Answer Tora!'' Tora jumped towards her, but when he did, a wall of flame erupted between them, blocking Morag's view of the Nopon. She could still see the Ardainian symbols, until they too faded away.

When the flames died down and Morag opened her eyes, she found herself in Tantal, more specifically Genbu Crown, where they had fought off Akhos, Patroka and Mikhail, but then failed in front of Jin. Where they had lost Pyra and Rex faced his biggest challenge. A challenge that he was eventually able to overcome, but at the time it had been devastating to the young boy.

''It's so sad, isn't it Lady Morag?'' Morag turned in surprise to see Brighid standing there. Her eyes closed like always and her mouth a still line, making her expression impossible to read.

''Brighid?'' Despite their relationship, Morag couldn't help being a bit on guard, after what happened with Tora. ''What exactly is sad?''

''Over 10 years of training together and the result is this. If it's not sad, then maybe it's laughable?'' Brighid chuckled a bit, but it sounded hollow and cold to Morag's ears. However, she understood her point. Morag clenched her right fist and looked down, while she raised her left hand to pull down her hat a bit.

''I admit that I could've performed better, but…''

''But what? You can make up excuses, but it won't change the results. And this wasn't the only time either.'' Morag had a counterargument ready, but Brighid wasn't about to end things here. ''There's a reason I have been passed down as a royal weapon from emperor to emperor. For a Special Inquisitor like you to receive me, it was a mistake from the very beginning.''

''You…you don't mean that!'' Morag tried to sound strong, but hearing her nearly life-long partner say something like that was too shocking to just entirely brush off, even if this was an illusion of some sort. Brighid's words were far more chilling than the atmosphere around her.

''You're right…the real mistake was making you the Special Inquisitor in the first place.'' Morag took a hesitant step back. She…she had no answer to that. ''You should've stuck to being that little girl with no destiny who played with flowers, instead of becoming a little girl trying to play with weapons. Especially weapons that are not even close to what you deserve.'' Morag bit her lip. No, she had to say something back to her. She couldn't just stand here and listen to all this!

''I have a lot to learn, I know that. But I don't think my years of training have been meaningless! I'm still capable of protecting the people and the world I care about. That's all the power I need.'' Morag almost smiled at the end of that. She was starting to sound like Rex. He really was capable on influencing so many people, herself included.

''No, you're not and you know that yourself. You have already failed to protect your friends, your brother and your country, despite your years of training. It's disgraceful! You don't deserve to wield my weapon or have me as your partner!'' Brighid said and in an instant Morag's weapons disappeared from her hands and appeared on Brighid's, who hit them against the ground, creating six pillars of fire around Morag, trapping her in place. ''That is a fitting location for someone like you. Goodbye, Morag.'' Brighid said as she walked off.

Before Morag could respond, the flame pillars rose up higher, completely obscuring Morag's vision. And just like last time, when the flames died down, she found herself somewhere different. This time she was in Mor Ardain, at the Hardhaigh Palace. But not just any location in the place, she was in the throne room. It wasn't that unusual, she visited it often, but her exact location was more than little unusual. She was sitting on the emperor's throne!

''Is everything alright Empress Morag?'' It was an Ardainian Solider who said it, but frankly Morag couldn't care less who said that. It was what he said that was far more important

''Empress? But what about Niall?'' She asked, only to be met with very dead and very uncomfortable silence. It sent a shiver down Morag's spine, which wasn't a common occurrence. It took several seconds for the atmosphere and the mood to get any better and it wasn't by much.

''You clearly need some rest your highness. I'll make sure no one bothers you.'' The soldier saluted and left the room, but Morag didn't have to be alone for long.

''As I thought, that seat fits you, sister.'' Morag gasped and stood up from the chair as Niall was suddenly standing in front of her. She reached out with her hand to touch his shoulder…only for her hand to go through his body entirely.

''N-Niall…you...,'' No, no it couldn't be…Not again. Niall looked at the hand going through his body and smiled softly.

''You don't have to be discouraged. You're a much better leader than I am after all.'' Niall kept smiling, which did nothing to calm down Morag's worries or mood.

''I…'' What was with this?! First she sees Brighid telling her she's not worthy of her weapon or position and now Niall was telling her she was a worthy ruler? Why was she seeing these contradictory visions? ''I'm really not.''

''Yes you are dear sister. My death would mean nothing in the grand scheme of things if you were there to succeed me. Mor Ardain would be in good hands with you.'' Niall said and despite evidence to the contrary, Morag tried to wrap her arms around Niall to hug him, but was of course unsuccessful as she just went through him yet again.

''That's not true! And even if it were, how do you expect me to be okay with losing you?'' She went through it once, she wasn't ready for it to happen again anytime soon. Yet despite what she said, Niall just kept on smiling.

''Because you're a strong person. You're a leader. You don't need me.'' Niall said, and he crossed his arms behind his back and looked up through the glass ceiling. ''The world needs you more than it needs me.'' Niall started to rise up in the air and Morag so desperately wanted to stop him by grabbing his hand, but she knew it wouldn't matter. ''I've always looked up to you, so I know you can do it.''

''I'm the one who should be saying that! To be able to handle all the pressure of a ruler at your age, I've always admired that. I've never once thought that you weren't suited for this role, you're much more capable leader than I am. So please…' Morag removed her hat and kneeled down. ''Please don't leave me or Mor Ardain your highness. Niall!'' She looked up at him with tears forming in her eyes, only to see that he was slowly fading away from the feet up, still with a smile on his face.

''Don't sell yourself short my sister. You will make a wonderful leader when I'm gone. I'm sure Mor Ardain will be happier with you than it was with me…'' Niall's voice trailed off, as he disappeared. His voice lingered around for a while before both it and Niall himself disappeared completely.

''That's not true…'' Morag looked down at the ground, her while body shaking. ''Come back, Niall, Brighid. You two are my greatest supports. I…I…''

I'm not ready for this role.

,,,

Zeke had closed his right eye for just a second yet as soon as he opened it, everyone was gone. ''Pandy?! Chum?!'' Zeke yelled as he looked around, but no one was seen, and no one answered. ''C'mon guys, this isn't funny.'' Zeke was pretty sure that no one had went up the stairs they came from so that only left the dark hallway in front of him. Zeke walked forward, trying not to think too much about what was going on. The World Tree just kept on getting freakier and freakier as they went along. Hopefully they would soon get some sense into this place and more importantly some damn answers!

Soon the darkness gave away and the temperature got hotter as Zeke found himself in Mor Ardain. ''Why am I suddenly here of all places?'' He was at the regular docks, but there was no one around, not even any Titan ships. ''Pandy!'' He tried calling out again, but to no avail, there seemed to be no one around¸ except for one other person.

''How typical of you to leave something behind again.'' Zeke saw Morag standing there with her arms crossed, looking as serious as ever. Though Zeke wasn't too bothered by that.

''Yo, Morag. Have you seen anyone else around? Everyone just kind of disappeared.'' Zeke asked, making Morag chuckle a bit.

''Really? Are you sure you're not the one who disappeared on them?''

''…I'm not sure I catch your drift.'' This just got another chuckle out of Morag. ''And I'd appreciate if you stopped laughing at me.'' Zeke said, slightly annoyed. People should always laugh with him, not at him.

''My 'drift' as you put it is that you're the most unreliable person I've ever met.'' Zeke took a step back, he hadn't expected the verbal abuse to reach that kind of level so quickly. ''You're easily distracted, you focus on the most meaningless of details like attack names and your luck is terrible.''

''Sheesh, that was kind of harsh. Not to mention uncalled for.'' Zeke said, trying to take these comments with some sort of stride, despite them being somewhat unusual.

''You just don't take anything seriously do you? You even abandoned your home country. What kind of prince are you really?'' This made Zeke's smile disappear completely, it was getting a bit too personal for him. ''If your own country can't depend on you, then how could any single person?''

''Hey, the way my old man was running things was wrong and everyone knows it!''

''And you thought that just running around doing your own thing would fix everything? Is that how you think someone who's responsible for the country's future should act?! It's quite pathetic. How much do you really care about Tantal?'' Morag said and as she talked, Zeke couldn't help getting this intense feel of…patriotism from her. She had always taken her duties as Special Inquisitor seriously. Compared to her, he was… ''Honestly, no wonder Pandoria wants nothing to do with you.''

''What are you even talking about? Pandy would never say or think like that.'' He knew her better than anyone!

''Then why isn't she here with you right now?'' Zeke stayed quiet. Like hell he could answer that, he didn't even know what was going on! ''Neither your Blade nor your country can rely on you. I think the situation is obvious. You shouldn't even be a Driver!'' Zeke stayed quiet, he couldn't think of a response on the spot. ''As Mor Ardain's Special Inquisitor I take my duties and position seriously and with pride. Where does your pride lie, if not with your country or partner?!''Morag yelled and all of the sudden, the area around them started to shake. Zeke looked up to see a giant boulder falling his way! He closed his eyes and braced for the impact, but that never came. Instead, he found himself in total darkness again with Morag nowhere to be seen.

Zeke continued walking, trying to get Morag's words out of his head. He knew that she wasn't fully wrong, he had left his country and there probably would've been better solutions for the problems, but…he had been young and foolish. He hadn't realized his mistakes yet. Surely now that he was older he could do better and.. ''Chum?'' Zeke stopped when he saw Rex in the distance. Now that he looked around, he seemed to be in Leftherian Archipelago all of the sudden. Well at least he didn't have to deal with Mor Ardain's heat anymore. Rex was sitting by one of the piers of the Ysheva Harbor.

''Oh, hey Zeke.'' He said, not even turning around to face him and his tone was not nearly as peppy as Zeke was used to. Zeke put aside what Morag said for now and made this his number priority.

''Is something bothering you chum? C'mon, you can tell me!'' Zeke said, trying to put his arm around Rex's shoulders, only for the boy to immediately move away to get them off. ''Don't be like that, I want to help.'' Zeke couldn't help thinking this was about Pyra and/or Mythra. Love could be so complicated sometimes.

''The best way for you help is to leave.'' Rex said and his tone was much colder than Zeke had ever heard from the young boy. ''If I need help, I'd rather ask Morag, Nia or even Tora first.'' Now that was something Zeke couldn't just ignore.

''That's kind of mean chum. C'mon, we're both Blade Eaters and I'm a seasoned Driver, there's nothing you can't tell me. I can be your guide to anything!'' He realized that Rex and Pyra's situation was different from his and Pandoria's, but in essence it was the same and he was sure that that connection would be more than enough to get Rex to open up.

''No. I don't trust you like that.'' He said, standing up and walking away from the edge of the pier. ''Morag is a better driver, Nia is a better listener and Tora is a better friend. Why would I need to tell you anything?'' Again with that kind of listing… ''There's nowhere you could guide me. You barely know what you're doing yourself.'' Zeke was quiet for a while. Rex was acting almost like Morag had just now, only with a slightly different approach. He had no idea what was going on here, but he couldn't just listen to it.

''I know I have a few faults, but there's plenty of things you can learn from me.'' Maybe not as a mentor student kind of thing, but just good friends helping each other!

''Your own Blade doesn't even care about you, why would I want to learn anything from you?'' Rex asked and Zeke was confused. Why was Pandoria being brought up again?

''Me and Pandy are a team for life! Whatever has happened is clearly a misunderstanding.'' There's no way his and Pandoria's relationship could be strained like that, just none!

''The only one who's misunderstood is you, thinking that I would be interested in your 'guiding and teaching'. I don't need your help Zeke and neither does Pandoria.'' Rex said as he started to walk away. Zeke wanted to give chase, but as soon as he took one step forward, the wooden port underneath him collapsed and he fell down into Cloud Sea. At least, that's what he had expected to happen. But instead he fell to a large pile of snow. And the fall hadn't even been that long. He brushed himself off and stood up properly to look at his surroundings.

Whether it was due to coincidence or deliberate fate, Zeke found himself in Tantal. He was standing by the main gate to Theosoir. There was a heavy blizzard going on, but that was really nothing new for the region. Before he could go in and check the capital, he saw familiar light bulbs in the distance through the snow. ''Pandy!'' He raised his hand and started to walk over to her, hoping that she at least would be acting normal. But much to his surprise, as soon as Pandoria noticed him, she started running away to the opposite direction. ''Pandy!'' He yelled again, but to no avail. His Blade didn't respond and kept on running. Seeing no other choice, Zeke gave chase. Under normal circumstances, he probably could've caught up to her in no time, but she had a sizable head start and the blizzard was really limiting his running…though Pandoria seemed to be able to run just fine.

''Stop following me!'' Pandoria yelled and even through the blizzard Zeke could hear that just fine. However, he didn't stop. After what 'Morag' and 'Rex' said, he needed to talk with her about something, anything. Like they always did, like they always could! So, despite her yelling that, he kept on following her, fighting against the blizzard until he could see the Genbu Port in the distance. It was a dead end, Pandoria couldn't keep running away. Indeed, when he reached the port, she was standing at the edge of the pier, facing him.

''Pandy…'' Now that he got a good look, he noticed that her glasses were completely fogged, making him unable to see her eyes. Something about that really unnerved him. ''Why are you avoiding me?'' After hearing that question Pandoria rolled her eyes behind her glasses.

''Of course you'd ask that. You're the only person in the world to be that dumb and thick-headed.'' Pandoria spat out, causing Zeke to take a step back in shock.

''Pandy?'' Her dissing him was nothing unusual, but she never went that far. ''H-Have I done something wrong?'' Zeke asked, only to be met with laughter. Not her usual happy one, but one filled with snide and mockery.

''Would you like a list? How about we start with you taking away my immortality?'' Pandoria asked as she put her hands over her core crystal, a core crystal that was and always would be missing a piece. ''If you hadn't been so careless back then, I'd still have my whole core crystal! I could be reawakened when you finally die, but you just had to take it away from me.'' Pandoria clenched both of her fists as she returned her hands back to her sides.

''But…'' Zeke knew that Pandy was right, with a broken core crystal, a Blade couldn't be reawakened. That fact couldn't be changed. But…''Back then, you said you were happy about it!'' He'd never forget that day, what she said and what he said back to her.

''That's because you'd never be ready to hear the truth, you're too much of a little kid.'' Pandoria was quiet for a while, allowing both hear the howling blizzard outside of the port. ''I despise being with you.''

Zeke knew he heard that. His body nearly froze when he heard that. He felt something inside of him shatter when he heard that. But he refused to believe he had heard that. ''Y-You don't mean that…Pandy?'' Zeke took one hasty and uncertain step forward.

''What kind of Blade would ever want a Driver like you?! Dealing with your annoying habits, your stupid mannerisms and that constant bad luck! No Blade deserves a life or fate like that!'' Pandoria yelled and during all this Zeke kept taking steps forward, but the steps seemed more and more hesitant each and every time. He was barely moving forward.

''I…I can change.'' Zeke said, his voice as hesitant as his steps. Pandoria just shook her head at this.

''No you can't. 10 years with you and you haven't changed. You're still the same immature boy I met when you awakened me. And I don't want to be with that boy anymore.'' Pandoria said as she turned around. ''I'd rather jump to the Cloud Sea than spend another moment with you.'' She then took a step forward, her movement much more certain than Zeke's. Upon seeing this, Zeke dashed aside his uncertainty, caught up to her and grabbed her shoulders! ''Let go of me!'' Pandoria tried to struggle free, but Zeke was both physically stronger and larger than her, so it was to no avail.

''I…I want to be the best driver for you. I'm willing to change because of that. Isn't that…what love is about sometimes? Making compromises with each other. Making sure you're the best possible person you can be for them. Back when I got this core crystal in me, I told you that I wanted to stay together forever. But what I really meant by that is that…I love you Pandoria.'' Zeke closed his eyes. He didn't care what was going on. He was glad to get that out of his chest, no matter the situation or the circumstances. Now he wanted to hear Pandoria's response.

''…Goodbye my prince.''' Immediately after hearing that, he no longer felt Pandoria's shoulders on his hands. He opened his eyes to see her gone, not even her core crystal was around anymore.

''No…please. I can't go on like this. I don't want you to leave me. You're my Blade, my partner, my best friend. I…I…''

I can't live without you.

,,,

Nia looked around, only to see absolutely no one around. She didn't know how it happened, but suddenly she was all alone. ''Rex?! Dromarch?!'' She tried calling out, but there was no response. She could hear a faint echo of her own voice, but that was the only sound in the otherwise empty location. ''Pyra?! Morag?!'' She kept calling out as she ran forward. To be honest, she wasn't exactly sure why she did it, but it felt better than just standing around. The hallway was incredibly dark, Nia couldn't see anything. The only way she could tell she was even moving was because of the sound of her feet hitting the metallic floor…but then that sound vanished too. Not because Nia stopped moving, but because the floor wasn't metallic anymore. In fact, it wasn't a floor at all. It was ground! And suddenly she could see orange lights and green scenery around her.

''This is…Gormott?'' How did she end up here? Just a few seconds ago she had been who knows how many titanpeds up in the sky! However, she couldn't see anyone around, which was very unnerving for a town as lively as Torigoth. Even the shops had been left completely unattended, despite there still being products around. Nia gulped as she felt a shiver go down her spine. Something about all of this was just not right. It was way too eerie and quiet, there wasn't even any wind. ''Where is everyone?''

''You have no right to ask that question.'' Nia turned around and saw Morag standing there and she was glaring daggers at her! She had both of her whip swords with her, but Brighid herself wasn't with her strangely enough. However, Nia was still glad to see one of her friends.

''Morag! What's…'' Nia took one step closer, but Morag hit her right whip against the ground, causing a small flame to erupt in front of Nia, stopping her dead in her tracks. ''What are you doing?!''

''What I should've done from the very beginning.'' Morag hit her left whip against the ground this time, once again making flames raise close to Nia. ''You really should've been executed when we had the chance.'' Morag said, causing Nia's eyes to widen.

''E-Executed?'' Nia took a step back. She still didn't know what was going on, but there was no way Morag was joking around. She never did.

''Letting someone like you roam around freely. …I was a fool.'' Morag raised both of her whip swords, creating a wall of fire behind Nia, preventing her from taking any steps further back. ''It would've been so easy. All I had to do was tear that core crystal from your chest and you never could've been reawakened. All of this could've been prevented.'' Morag created two more fire walls, one on each side so all of Nia's escape routes had been sealed off.

''I... I still don't understand what you're talking about!'' There had be to some sort of explanation for this, no matter how absurd. However, this statement only made Morag glare at her even harder.

''You're still saying something like that, even after what you did to this town?!'' Morag practically screamed and that loss of composure took Nia as much off-guard as the actual sentence did.

''What I did? But I…'' She didn't do anything here. She was sure of it! Morag was silent for a few seconds and looked down, so that Nia couldn't see her eyes since they were covered by the hat.

''…I see how it is then. It's even worse than I thought. You Flesh Eaters are truly a disgusting breed.'' Morag sneered and all of the sudden, Nia found herself in her Blade form. And for some reason, she swore her core crystal looked more red than blue.

''What are you…''

''You acted on instinct. You probably didn't think about it at all. After all, you're not a human. You're not a Blade either. You're nothing but a monster who never should've existed in the first place.'' Morag said as she took a step forward. ''All of you Flesh Eaters are like that.''

''I'm…I'm not a monster!'' Nia tried to yell back in desperation, but it was clear that Morag wasn't hearing it. …And why did it feel like she was barely believing that herself?

''Someone like you should be purged where you stand!'' Morag rushed forward with her whip swords, forcing Nia to draw out her Scimitar to defend herself. She created a torrent of water around herself, and then shot it in multiple directions, dousing out the fire and hitting Morag as well. Honestly she probably could handle Morag one-on-one…but she had no intention of fighting or hurting her so she really only had one option. Running away. ''Don't you dare run away from what you've done!'' Morag created another fire wall right in front of Nia, but she slashed through it with her scimitar.

''She's not right. I'm not a monster…'' Nia told herself. Her powers were used to heal, they were used for good. Just because she was a Flesh Eater, it didn't mean that she was a monster…right? She hadn't done anything wrong as a Flesh Eater…right? She kept on running, despite not even hearing Morag's voice anymore. She ran, ran and ran until she realized she was in total darkness again and the ground beneath her didn't feel as familiar anymore. Still, she kept on running until she tripped. She would've gotten up immediately, but when she looked down, she saw a puddle on the ground and her reflection on it.

''Blood?'' There were traces of blood on her face, near her mouth…and when she opened her mouth, she saw some on her teeth as well. ''What is this…'' Nia shook her head. She didn't want to think about it. Think about what 'Morag' had said and the state her face was in. In an attempt to think about something else, she looked away from the puddle, only to see more blood up ahead. There were drips of it and for some reason, Nia felt compelled to follow the bloodstains.

As she walked, she noticed she was now in Leftheria and nearing Fonsett Village. However, a feeling of dread started to build up inside her as she noticed the drips of blood get bigger, until they were small puddles. There were so many of them and they lead to the Fonsett Arch and at the bottom of the stairs was…''REX!'' Nia yelled, rushing towards him immediately. He was lying on his back, completely covered in large scars and wounds with blood all over and around him. She immediately kneeled over him and started applying her healing artes.

''Nia…'' Rex said, but Nia could barely even afford to look at his face if she wanted to focus on the healing.

''Don't talk, just rest. I can handle this.'' She said, though her voice wavered a bit. These injuries were nearly fatal! How could something like this even happen? Rex was indeed quiet for a few seconds, but then he spoke up.

''Oh…so you're saving me?'' He asked.

''Of course I am! Why wouldn't I?!'' What was Rex talking about? She had these powers so she could help people!

''Then…why didn't you save Vandham or Fan?'' Rex asked, the tone of his voice more serious than Nia had ever heard. She lost her focus and stopped her healing.

''Rex, what are you…'' Nia was going to ask, only for Rex to start getting up. ''Rex you can't mo…'' Nia stopped herself yet again when she noticed that Rex was moving just fine despite all the wounds and blood on his body. The wounds were very much real, she had even touched one of them, but Rex seemed completely unaffected by them.

''Well Nia? Why didn't you?'' Rex asked again and Nia just had to ignore the state Rex's body was in right now, no matter how hard that was, so she could answer the question.

''I…I was scared. Scared that if all of you would find out you would…treat me like a monster.'' Just like Morag had done now…

''And was that fear worth letting innocent people die?!'' Now Rex was raising his voice, which was another thing she wasn't used to. Rex had never directed this amount of anger towards her.

''Of course not! I was just…''

''Selfish. Thinking just how things would affect you. Even after Cole revealed that he was a Flesh Eater, you couldn't come clean because you were selfish. That's why you didn't save them. You didn't care for Vandham or Fan at all.'' Nia could barely get a retort out. Each sentence Rex said felt like a dagger to her heart. ''You were probably happy to see them die, especially Fan.''

''Why would I be?'' Why did she ask that? She knew where this was going, she knew what he was going to say, and she was fearing every single second of it.

''You saw her as nothing but competition, competition for my feelings. Even though you never had a chance.''

Nia felt herself go numb. She knew that, she had known that from the very beginning, from the moment she saw Rex and Pyra together. She had been prepared for it…yet hearing Rex himself say that to her face felt like the dagger in her heart was multiplied by five. She knew it was the truth, she had accepted it as the truth…but why did it have to hurt so much?

''You didn't care one bit. All that mattered to you was your own feelings, no one else's. Your fear, your love, your hate…'' Rex kept on saying and in a desperate attempt to tune him out, she covered her ears.

''S-Stop it…'' She wanted to say something back. Say that Obrona made things difficult, that Fan being a Blade made things difficult, but…did that change anything? The truth was, she hadn't even tried. Because she had been afraid. Because despite everything, she couldn't tell everyone until too many people had suffered. She didn't want to hear this, it was too much for her.

She ran. She ran as fast as she could. ''You're embracing your fear again.'' That wasn't Rex. She refused to believe that was any version of him. This was all just some twisted illusion that felt all too real. Despite having ran far enough to be unable to hear Rex's voice anymore, his words still echoed in her mind and she was completely unable to shake them off. She kept on running and the somewhat calm atmosphere of the Archipelago was replaced with large cliffs and ruins, with the wind picking up strongly as well. After felt like forever, she finally stopped to catch her breath.

''These are…the Cliffs of Morytha.'' More precisely, it was the location where they fought Jin and Malos and Rex unlocked Pyra and Mythra's true power. Except that there was one difference, a single gravestone stood very close to the edge of the cliff. With shaking steps, Nia walked closer to it, her heart pounding as she walked closer until she could read what was written on the gravestone. And despite the fact that it was a single stone, there were two names etched onto it. ''N-No…'' Nia fell to her knees in front of the grave, allowing her to read very clearly what was written there. ''Here lies…Pyra and Mythra.'' Nia's voice broke and tears started to form in her eyes as she said that. ''What is this…'' Why would anyone show her something as terrible as this?!

''Isn't it what you have always wanted, my lady?'' Nia knew that was Dromarch, she instantly recognized his voice, but she didn't even have the energy to turn around to look at him.

''No! Why…why would I ever want something like this?''

''They were an obstacle to your happy life with Rex. The only happy life you could ever achieve. And now they're gone…forever.''

''F-Forever…'' Nia barely got that word out due to the lump on her throat and then she noticed something. On the ground in front of the grave, were hundreds of green shards, so small that her own teardrops were bigger than them. It was their Core Crystal, smashed to beyond any hope of fixing or repair. ''N-No….'' She tried picking up the pieces, but she couldn't properly grasp a single one.

''Theirs and Rex's lives are no longer connected. You don't have to worry about that my lady. There's nothing in the way of your happiness now.''

''S-Stop saying that word.'' Happiness. This…this wasn't making her happy.

''As your Blade, your happiness is everything to me, my lady.'' Nia clenched her fists as she felt more tears fall.

''Can't you tell I'm not happy?! It doesn't matter how jealous of them I got, how much I wish that Rex could love me like he does them or how much it hurt living on like that. I accepted living on like that! I'm learning to move past that! I would…I would never want them gone. I would never want them dead. They're important to me! They're my friends…I love them.'' Nia's voice betrayed her as she started to cry so much that she couldn't even speak. The tears overflowed her eyes, making her vision extremely blurry.

''…In that case, I have failed you as a Blade. I don't deserve to be by your side, anymore.'' Dromarch said and after that it was silent again. Nia could only hear her own sobbing and the wind that seemed to be getting colder and stronger.

''Dromarch?'' Nia looked over her shoulder and through her tears she saw a blue core crystal lying on the ground close behind her. ''No…No.'' Nia crawled over to it, not feeling enough strength in her legs to stand up properly and in front of her eyes the blue core crystal was losing color and becoming dull and grey. When she finally got to it, it was completely devoid of any sign of life.

''Please….please don't leave me. Dromarch, Pyra, Mythra, Rex…please. I need you. I…I..''

I don't want to be alone.

,,,

And with just a few simple words, the nightmarish scenarios came to an end. ''I think that's enough. Please Father.''

…

So, this is something I have wanted to write for a long while and I'm so glad I finally did it. I knew it was going to be difficult and…yeah it really was. It's different from what I usually write as I prefer to keep things light-hearted, but I do think it was good that I wrote it since the idea had been nagging at me. Getting out of your comfort zone can be good every now and then.

I promise next one will come out faster. Depending on certain things, it might come out smashing fast. …That wasn't even subtle.

Anyway, review if you liked ,review if you didn't like!


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